A proper Devonshire cream tea consists of scones, butter, clotted cream, jam - combine to your own liking, + a cup of tea, not just any old cream cake with tea. That’s just tea & cake.Cream teas. What a con that is.
I hail from the north and, until very recently, I fondly imagined that `cream tea` represented a quaint local south West/West country way of taking one's tea - ie. - putting cream in it instead of milk (there being so much cream to spare in that part of England).
I thought that one sunny day I would be in a position to try tea served like this. I visualised being somewhere exotic like...rural Somerset and in a rickety old tea house being served Cream Tea by an amiable elderly old couple with piratical accents. The cream tea would consist of a steaming toby jug of black tea - with a generous dollop of faintly yellow cream plonked on top.
But now I learn that `cream tea` just means a cup of tea taken with a cream cake, and that, therefore, I've already had one.
Another bit of romance, in my increasingly deromanticised life, has sputtered out.
Yes.A proper Devonshire cream tea consists of scones, butter, clotted cream, jam - combine to your own liking, + a cup of tea, not just any old cream cake with tea. That’s just tea & cake.
Probably difficult to find outside of the West Country.
Just what is clotted cream? You British always use this term and I have not a clue as to what it is. The word “clotted” , to me, brings unpleasant images.A proper Devonshire cream tea consists of scones, butter, clotted cream, jam - combine to your own liking, + a cup of tea, not just any old cream cake with tea. That’s just tea & cake.
Probably difficult to find outside of the West Country.
Don't get me started on this! (Yeah, I believe we've had it out somehwere else before).I think you'll find that the use of the word 'tea' in that instance is as a reference to a mealtime (such as when people say 'going home for my tea' meaning to head home for their evening meal) however I think we have had some discourse around that subject elsewhere because some areas of the country have 'breakfast, lunch and dinner' whereas other substitute 'tea' and/or 'supper' for either of the early afternoon or evening mealtimes.
And the much maligned 'brunch'.
Love your descriptive imagery, Zeke. You are definitely a romantic.Cream teas. What a con that is.
I hail from the north and, until very recently, I fondly imagined that `cream tea` represented a quaint local south West/West country way of taking one's tea - ie. - putting cream in it instead of milk (there being so much cream to spare in that part of England).
I thought that one sunny day I would be in a position to try tea served like this. I visualised being somewhere exotic like...rural Somerset and in a rickety old tea house being served Cream Tea by an amiable elderly old couple with piratical accents. The cream tea would consist of a steaming toby jug of black tea - with a generous dollop of faintly yellow cream plonked on top.
But now I learn that `cream tea` just means a cup of tea taken with a cream cake, and that, therefore, I've already had one.
Another bit of romance, in my increasingly deromanticised life, has sputtered out.
Cream teas. What a con that is.
I hail from the north and, until very recently, I fondly imagined that `cream tea` represented a quaint local south West/West country way of taking one's tea - ie. - putting cream in it instead of milk (there being so much cream to spare in that part of England).
I thought that one sunny day I would be in a position to try tea served like this. I visualised being somewhere exotic like...rural Somerset and in a rickety old tea house being served Cream Tea by an amiable elderly old couple with piratical accents. The cream tea would consist of a steaming toby jug of black tea - with a generous dollop of faintly yellow cream plonked on top.
But now I learn that `cream tea` just means a cup of tea taken with a cream cake, and that, therefore, I've already had one.
Another bit of romance, in my increasingly deromanticised life, has sputtered out.
Not really a cream tea tale, but I was on holiday last week and for all the exotic foods the Algarve could offer me, fresh fish, cooked sardines etc, my go to food every night was always the all day English breakfast. 2 Sausage, 2 bacon, 2 eggs, cooked tomato, shrooms, fried bread, beans and toast -side order of chips an all.Are you eating the British traditional baked beans on toast with your tea ?
Nope, a cream tea has just the scones with jam and butter or cream, with a pot of tea. You might ask for coffee instead.So a 'cream tea' is, as you discovered, essentially 'afternoon tea' (meaning the drink 'tea') accompanied by cakes and sandwiches.
All your clotted cream questions answered here:Just what is clotted cream? You British always use this term and I have not a clue as to what it is. The word “clotted” , to me, brings unpleasant images.
You might eat them in halves mate....I'd try and yamm them in my gob whole.A cream tea will look something like this. You’d eat them in halves though, not whole.
I've just shown Techy the Morrisons cream tea offer page. We reckon you could buy the offer plus another pack of scones and eke out the toppings between all 8 scones.All your clotted cream questions answered here:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-clotted-cream-435423
A cream tea will look something like this. You’d eat them in halves though, not whole.
View attachment 68749
Yes I would tend to agree with you there, however, a cream tea does not have to be restricted to just the scones/jam/cream with the tea/coffee, it can also include other stuff.Nope, a cream tea has just the scones with jam and butter or cream, with a pot of tea. You might ask for coffee instead.
The expanded version with cakes and sandwiches is afternoon tea.
'Tea' as a meal is different altogether. No delicate pastries or little tubs of clotted cream for a start.
I was going to add that but thought I’d leave it to you.You might eat them in halves mate....I'd try and yamm them in my gob whole.
But then I am a greedy toe-rag with no decorum or finesse.
OMG - a cream tea? Never heard of that, but it looks delicious!Yes I would tend to agree with you there, however, a cream tea does not have to be restricted to just the scones/jam/cream with the tea/coffee, it can also include other stuff.
As per this picture from some website.
View attachment 68750
putting cream in it instead of milk (there being so much cream to spare in that part of England).
I thought that one sunny day I would be in a position to try tea served like this
For those of us in the specialised centre of the Venn diagram below
View attachment 68326
I can recommend stainless steel fine mesh cup filters to replace tea bags. I was totally fed up of picking out bits of wispy paper-plastic
remnants of tea bags from my garden soil so got some of these which works very well with any kind of loose tea:
A nice half-way point along the 'black tea -->iced tea spectrum' is regular black tea, brewed as a weaker infusion with just some freshly sliced lemon, left to go warm/tepid, and the lemon taken out. A very refreshing lemony summer beverage. I make a 2 pint jug of it
Yes I would tend to agree with you there, however, a cream tea does not have to be restricted to just the scones/jam/cream with the tea/coffee, it can also include other stuff.
As per this picture from some website.
View attachment 68750
OMG - a cream tea? Never heard of that, but it looks delicious!