Watching the footage on TV recently following our Queen’s passing, it was difficult not to become emotional about some of the images we witnessed. So many references over an amazing lifetime of service but one short clip made me smile, you know the one where Paddington and the Queen shared a cream tea before the Queen’s jubilee celebrations started in earnest.
They sat together in Buckingham Palace, closely watched by an equerry as they chatted and tucked into their scones with jam and cream and which made me think about the ongoing question regarding which goes on the scone first, the jam or the cream?
If you are from Cornwall there is only one answer, spread your jam on the scone then put Cornish clotted cream on top, in that order only!
However, if you are from Devon then they will tell you in no uncertain terms that the only way to eat a cream tea is to put the cream on the scone first, followed by jam on top. So, who’s right and who’s wrong? There is a solution to this age-old conundrum and the answer is they could both be right.
If you get a scone, slice it laterally through the middle, put the jam first on one half and on the other half the cream you satisfy both parties. Put them together and you have a Cornish version but, turn the scone 180 degrees the cream is now on the bottom, which should satisfy the Devonians so effectively there can be no argument.
The only other question which still needs resolving is which came first, the chicken or the egg? I’ll leave this thought with you – suggestions anyone?
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
This tale about Devonians putting cream on a scone first is such nonsense. All of my mothers family have been Devonians for centuries, and none of them would ever have put cream of a scone first. And never have I ever seen anyone put cream on a scone first. This myth seems to have snowballed into false fact.
To be practical the cream has to go on first, being the substitute for butter. If the jam goes on first, being of a softer consistency, the cream, being more viscous, would disturb the jam upsetting it’s distribution and making a right old mess.
It’s all about having the taste of the cold creamy clotted cream hitting the top of the mouth before you bite down and get the sweetness of the jam. There’s never been a mess with the distribution. The jam is a smear, the cream is a nice thick dollop. It’s really no different to a Victoria Sponge. That too has the cream on top. In fact just about any cake which has cream has it placed on the top. And that’s the same in every county. However, as you’ve also raised the issue of butter. I do remember my Devonian great-grandmother would first put butter on the scone, then jam on top and lastly a dollop of Cornish clotted cream. It was a daily ritual. Surprisingly she didn’t have a heart attack.
I lived in Devon for a few years and to be honest can’t remember locals eating cream teas, it’s a great way of getting holiday makers to buy over priced traditional food.
To be honest if we did have scones (pronounced scon) it would be with butter and maybe a bit of jam, couldn’t afford cream anyway.