Acream tea(also known as aDevon cream tea,Devonshire tea,[1]orCornish cream tea)[2]is anafternoon teaconsisting oftea,scones,clotted cream(or, less authentically, whipped cream),jam,and sometimes butter. Cream teas are sold intea roomsthroughout England, especiallyDevonandCornwall,and in some other parts of theCommonwealth.
 | |
| Alternative names | Devonshire tea, Cornish cream tea |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | England |
| Region or state | South West England |
| Serving temperature | Tea: hot Scones: warm Jam & cream:ambient |
| Main ingredients | Tea,scones,clotted cream,strawberry jam |
| Variations | Multiple |
| Highkcal | |
History
editThe origin of the cream tea is disputed, although there is evidence to suggest that the tradition of eating bread with cream and jam existed atTavistock Abbeyin Devon in the 11th century.[3]TheOxford English Dictionaryreports the earliest use of "cream tea" in the sense of the afternoon tea, as opposed to a cup of tea with cream in it, is in the 1964 novelPicture of MilliebyPhilip Maitland Hubbard,"We just bathe and moon about and eat cream teas." However, the "Foods of England" website has discovered an earlier newspaper cutting,The Cornishmanof Thursday, 3 September 1931 (p. 8), which uses the phrase in what appears to be its modern sense: "For an alleged Cornish cream tea consisting of three slices of bread and butter, a splashing of cream and jam and two anemic rolls, I was charged 1s. 6d."[4]
Variations
editThere are regional variations as to how a cream tea should preferably be eaten.
- TheDevonian,or Devonshire, method is to split the scone in two, cover each half withclotted cream,and then add strawberry jam on top. The Devon method is also commonly used in neighbouring counties.
- With theCornishmethod, the warm 'split' or a 'scone' is first split in two, then spread with strawberry jam, and finally topped with a spoonful of clotted cream. This method is also used elsewhere, notably inLondon.[5]
Although these distinctions on whether to apply the jam or the clotted cream to the scone first are still claimed by many, cream teas are served and enjoyed both cream first and jam first throughout both counties.
Scones are rarely buttered in commercially available teas. Traditionally it is important that the scones be warm (ideally, freshly baked), and that clotted (rather than whipped) cream and strawberry jam, rather than any other variety, be used. Butter is generally not included, and some sources advise that the tea should not be served with milk.[6]
In Cornwall an alternative was traditionally a "split", a type of slightly sweet whitebread roll,rather than a scone.[7]It is now rare to find this available commercially, even in Cornwall, but splits are still used by many Cornish families in their own homes.[8]InDevon,an alternative to the scone found occasionally is the "Devon split" or "Chudleigh", lighter than a scone and smaller than a Cornish split.[9]
Another variation to a cream tea is called "Thunder and Lightning", which consists of a round of bread or a Cornish split, topped with clotted cream andhoneyor golden syrup.[2]
Yet another variation is a "savoury cream tea", with cheese scones; cream cheese instead of clotted cream, and chutney instead of jam.[10]
Protected status
editIn May 2010, a campaign was launched at theDevon County Showto have the name "Devon cream tea" protected within theEuropean UnionunderProtected Designation of Origin(PDO) rules. The campaign was launched following discussion onBBC Radio Devon.[11]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"Devonshire tea",OxfordDictionaries.Retrieved 19 November 2017
- ^abSalmans, Sandra (5 September 1982)."BRITAIN'S BEST AT TEATIME".The New York Times.Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^"Were cream teas 'invented' in Tavistock?".BBC News.17 January 2004.Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^"The Foods of England - Cream Tea".foodsofengland.co.uk.
- ^"BBC News Article".BBC News.BBC.9 June 2010.Retrieved27 August2017.
- ^Not Panicking Ltd (20 October 2015)."h2g2 – Cream Teas – Edited Entry".bbc.co.uk.
- ^O'Brien, Harriet (8 July 2006)."Cornwall: a clean break".The Independent.London. Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2006.Retrieved28 January2007.
- ^Maltwood, Hannah (14 March 2018)."Everything to know about the Cornish split, the original cream tea accompaniment".CornwallLive.Retrieved10 March2022.
- ^"Cornish Splits, some very exciting news and a thank-you",Regula Ysewijn,16 April 2013.Retrieved 23 May 2017
- ^"Cheese and Chive Scones Recipe - Great British Chefs".
- ^"Devon cream teas could get EU protected status".BBC News.19 May 2010.Retrieved6 January2015.
Further reading
edit- Smillie, Susan (20 May 2010)."It's scone wrong".The Guardian.London.Retrieved26 April2011.
- Kirby, Terry (6 November 2009)."Jam or cream first? The great scone debate…".London Evening Standard.Retrieved26 April2011.
- "How do you take your cream tea?".BBC Radio Cornwall.9 June 2010.Retrieved26 April2011.
- Cleave, Paul (20 August 2019)."Origins of the Devon Cream Tea".Taste Buds magazine.We Make Magazines Ltd.
- "The History of The Cornish Cream Tea".Orange Roofs Cornwall Ltd. 28 July 2022.