The Mystery of Cream Tea
Have you ever read Enid Blyton’s
books? And marvelled at the amount and variety of food those kids scarfed? I
can safely blame my love affair with food on those books that I devoured as a
child! Birthdays, midnight feasts, after-term concerts – all had food as one of
the central themes. I would be salivating while reading about cakes,
chocolates, biscuits, Nestle milk (!), sausages, ginger beer, sardines, ginger
bread, lemonade… And, of course, the mysterious cream tea. I always wondered –
did they put cream into the tea? Or drink it along with tea (yuck)?
books? And marvelled at the amount and variety of food those kids scarfed? I
can safely blame my love affair with food on those books that I devoured as a
child! Birthdays, midnight feasts, after-term concerts – all had food as one of
the central themes. I would be salivating while reading about cakes,
chocolates, biscuits, Nestle milk (!), sausages, ginger beer, sardines, ginger
bread, lemonade… And, of course, the mysterious cream tea. I always wondered –
did they put cream into the tea? Or drink it along with tea (yuck)?
Once I stumbled across a travel
article that explained what cream tea was (this was before one just googled
everything!). But I couldn’t understand what the big deal was about. Then 2
years ago I went to England on a holiday. One of my ‘food goals’ was to solve
the mystery of cream tea, others being having a perfect English Breakfast (check), eating as many plates of Fish n
Chips as I could (check), finding out what a crumpet was (check)… You get the
drift?
article that explained what cream tea was (this was before one just googled
everything!). But I couldn’t understand what the big deal was about. Then 2
years ago I went to England on a holiday. One of my ‘food goals’ was to solve
the mystery of cream tea, others being having a perfect English Breakfast (check), eating as many plates of Fish n
Chips as I could (check), finding out what a crumpet was (check)… You get the
drift?
I tried Cream Tea at five
different places in England, and it was at the last place that the mystery was really
and truly solved.
different places in England, and it was at the last place that the mystery was really
and truly solved.
Scene: Wayside Cafe in the tiny
Village of Widecombe in Dartmoor
Village of Widecombe in Dartmoor
Cast: The family and I
Culprit: The best Cream Tea in all
of England (in my opinion)
of England (in my opinion)
Exhibit A: See below
So what exactly is cream tea? A
cup of hot black tea (with milk and sugar on the side), a plate of golden scones
(‘scone’ rhymes with ‘con’, not ‘cone’), a bowl of jam and a bowl of clotted
cream (ah, the cream!), all served up in dainty blue-and-white Wedgewood-esque
china.
The tea – perfectly brewed
The scones – perfectly baked,
buttery, crumbly and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth
buttery, crumbly and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth
The jam – sweet, sticky and
strawberry
strawberry
The cream – the piece de
resistance, creamy clotted Devonshire cream
resistance, creamy clotted Devonshire cream
The combination – PERFECTION
You can try replicating the entire
experience at home, with the exception of the clotted cream. While it is
available across England, it’s the clotted cream from the counties of Devon and
Cornwall that is considered as ‘typical’. Even then, there are slight differences
in the cream from both the counties and it is the Cornish clotted cream that
enjoys a Protected Designation of Origin tag by the European Union. You can try
substituting clotted cream with whipped cream, but it’s just not the same!
experience at home, with the exception of the clotted cream. While it is
available across England, it’s the clotted cream from the counties of Devon and
Cornwall that is considered as ‘typical’. Even then, there are slight differences
in the cream from both the counties and it is the Cornish clotted cream that
enjoys a Protected Designation of Origin tag by the European Union. You can try
substituting clotted cream with whipped cream, but it’s just not the same!
A recipe for scones is coming up
in the next post, so that you too can recreate a classic cream tea at home.
Till then, feast your eyes on this!
in the next post, so that you too can recreate a classic cream tea at home.
Till then, feast your eyes on this!
So I came across this blog on facebook when my cousin Swapna posted it. I re-posted it and all my friends and I are talking about it! It has brought back some amazing memories of our childhood! We all grew up on Enid Blyton books, and their picnic spreads and midnight feasts are what fueled my love for food! Thank you for the flood of memories!
Hi Marlyn, thank you for your lovely comments! So pleased to know that you & your friends loved the post; now that's really made my Sunday 🙂 If you liked this post, do share & 'like' my Facebook Page so that you're updated about upcoming posts & events – https://www.facebook.com/DeliciouslyDirectionless Next post will be up tomorrow – Almond Biscotti!
Thank you for bringing back a flood of memories from my childhood. I shared this blog on Facebook and so many friends were as delighted as I was! Great job!
this post is yummy 🙂
Thanks, Nandita! Loved writing it 😀