National Cream Tea Day

With all the hype surrounding the UK’s decision to leave the EU we thought we would highlight something quintessentially British – yes that’s right – the Cream Tea. Today is the second National Cream Tea Day, organised by the Cream Tea Society.

Actually, history tells us that drinking tea really began in Portugal and hit the shores of Britain when Catherine de Braganza married Charles II in 1662. She brought the custom of drinking tea with her and was quickly adopted by the masses.

The Duchess of Bedford introduced the idea of retiring for afternoon tea, by the 19th Century this included sandwiches and scones with cream. However, the refined folk in Devon and Cornwall helped us to discover the delights of clotted cream, which is now viewed as a must when partaking of a true afternoon cream tea.

Cream Tea Etiquette

The question most people ponder over when they sit down and slice open their freshly baked scone is whether its jam on cream or the other way round? Well that’s where the Cream Tea Society can lend a helping hand to ensure we all enjoy a cream tea the way it should be. Their helpful etiquette guide states the following:

“Jam before cream. While there’s much debate around which goes first (a dispute dividing Cornwall and Devon), etiquette gurus Debrett’s say you should spread your jam before dolloping cream on top.”

Interestingly the Cream Tea Society also suggest that a good scone is essential to the whole experience, in fact a scone should be so fresh that you should be able to break it apart with a simple twist! If you want to know how to make the perfect scone then why not check out their website for the recipe and other ideas.
If you plan to indulge in a cream tea today, we would love to see where you are having them. Why not put them on Instagram and tag us @careline24!