History, Traditions and Debates of the Cream Tea

The cream tea is without question a delight from the south west of England. Each county - Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset - happily has its own although most people usually refer to only the first two in relation to the tradition of cream teas.

And is it here that I should introduce the scone-as-in-gone or scone-as-in-cone debate? Perhaps not, we could be here for some time... Just in case the record requires it, I am a life long advocate of the first.

And as with my own childhood, cream teas were eaten with bread, not scones, in 11th century Devon and with 'split' buns in Cornwall. The introduction of the scone was down to the Scottish. And a scone should, by tradition, be plain with no raisins, sultanas or glace cherries. But I'll be a bit controversial here and say that the ones with sultanas are my preferred choice; they add a bit of juiciness that I love.

There is so much in a cream tea that is down to personal preference and cream is one of them. I have already marked down the establishment in my first review (The Garden Tearooms) for serving whipped cream instead of clotted. It's my blog so I can.

In June 2014, The Guardian stated in its 'How to eat: a cream tea' article that clotted cream has absolutely nothing going for it with its gritty crust, almost 'off' aftertaste and cloying over the top butteryness. For The Guardian, whipped cream was the clear winner. Not for me, ever!

What do you think?

But I am in agreement with The Guardian when it states that the ubiquitous strawberry jam can be a bit bland and boring, and that raspberry offers a sharper experience. They also recommend blackcurrant jam, which I have yet to try, struggling to forego the deliciousness of raspberry or, even, strawberry (my back-up choice). I shall endeavour to try blackcurrant though, in order for this blog to be fully rounded, perhaps with a jam taste test on a homemade cream tea. And I might just experiment with lemon curd too.

Earlier this year (April 2015), David Cameroon put his foot right in the squidgyness of the cream tea debate with a declaration that the jam goes on first, followed by the cream. Now, I am in accordance with him and always do it this way; this is the traditional Cornish method and apparently glues the three elements together better. In Devon, however, it's the cream first and then the jam on top. Some claim this is a more aesthetically pleasing way of dressing your scone but whichever, it is a very hotly debated topic in the cream tea world. And, I think, quite possibly another taste test to put in the diary.

If you do as the Devonians and spread the jam on top of the cream, you will get the taste of the sweet fruit first. With the cream on top, your mouth will be coated with creamy richness. Perhaps a reason to always use a jam stronger than strawberry.

In 2013, Dr Eugenia Cheng ran a study resulting in a mathematical formula for the construction of a cream tea with precise measurements for each element and a conclusion that the Cornish way with cream on top is best.

The Garden Tearooms, Witley Court, Worcestershire WR6 6JT

Date of Visit: 10 May 2015 

Cost: £4.20 for one scone, jam, double cream and a pot of tea of your choice
Other options for Afternoon Tea (£12.50 for two) and High Tea (£10.50 per person) are available

www.witleytearooms.co.uk 

The Garden Tearooms are situated next to Witley Court, an English Heritage property situated between Great Witley and Little Witley on the A443 Worcester Road. You don't have to visit the grounds and impressive ruins of the former stately home of the Earl of Dudley to go to the Tearooms but it's well worth a visit, particularly in May or June, when the beautiful rhododendrons are in bloom.

The tearooms are also located next to Great Witley Church, the finest example of the baroque style in Britain so you might want to pop in there too as it's free to enter.

And so, on to the main event, the cream tea. It was a warm day, we could sit in the garden, birds were chirping around us and it felt quintessentially English. The scones were delicious, just the perfect amount of crispiness on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The peppering of raisins / sultanas was just right, and the strawberry jam was packed full of flavour. It would have scored very highly except for the lack of clotted cream. Double cream tastes ok but it is not the same, it just doesn't give that same succulent experience and the ability to hold all three elements together.

If you don't mind the use of whipped cream, then I would definitely try out the Tearooms, and the sandwiches with delicious homemade bread and a decent amount of filling are highly recommended too. As much as I thought the scones and jam were just about perfection, I can't score this cream tea any higher than a seven because of the cream.

7/10

My love of cream teas

My love of cream teas was definitely fed from an early age. I didn't grow up in Cornwall or Devon but in land-locked Buckinghamshire, and at the weekend my Dad would sometimes get in an uncut loaf of white bread, jam and clotted cream, much like the Devonians in the 11th century. He'd slice great doorsteps and smother them for my sister, brother and I with lashings of jam and cream. Heaven on a plate!

No family holiday to the southwest was complete without at least one cream tea. I've now generously upgraded this to 'no family holiday or weekend away anywhere'. And whilst I haven't eaten the bread version for many years, I am always tempted for a DIY scone cream tea when I see clotted cream in the supermarket.

The blog idea has lain dormant at the back of my mind for a while now. And then a couple of weeks ago, my cousin came to stay and with my daughter, Milly, we indulged at the Witley Court Tearooms. Whilst savouring the lusciousness of the scone and the jam, I was very disappointed that the establishment had replaced clotted cream with whipped, and it was at this point that I thought fellow cream tea aficionados should be able to benefit from my experiences should they wish.

The one thing I must mention is that I don't drink tea. As an aside, I don't drink coffee either and whilst this used to cause a lot of raised eyebrows it seems that there are more of us around these days. It's not a health concern of mine, although I'm fairly sure it has attributed to my good skin; I just don't like the taste of either beverage. So this blog is pure, it only reviews the scone, jam and cream element, and not the tea. Although if I'm with somebody who has something in particular to say about the tea, I'll let you know.

Please feel free to post comments and quick reviews of your own. Our taste buds vary and what doesn't appeal so much to my sweet tooth may be just right for someone with less of a sugar addiction.

So here goes...

Sarah x