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Saxon Way West
Corby
NN18 9EZ

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Charteroak Holiday Lodges in CornwallCharteroak Holiday Lodges in Cornwall

The long debate – cream or jam first?

August is the month to celebrate the traditional ‘afternoon tea’.

Ask anyone what food they think of when describing British cuisine and you’ll have the traditional Full English Breakfast, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash and of course the quintessential British afternoon tea. So popular in fact that it has a whole month of focus on the calendar.

Originating in the 11th century in the South West of England with earliest notes stating Tavistock Abbey in Devon, monks rewarded builders who were restoring the building with baked bread, cream and jam.

Though since then it seems an argument erupted as to the order of spreading the scones traditional toppings.  Do you put the cream or the jam on first?

Well in Devon they state the cream, whereas here in Cornwall you would be ‘outed’ with the mere thought of not placing your jam on first.  Though perhaps we should look to our leader the queen for her take? 

According to a past chef our royal monarch takes hers with homemade balmoral jam first topped off with clotted cream! Well it is a lot less messy this way…just be sure if you do, that you are firmly in the Cornish borders!

Wherever you are, don’t let yourself get bogged down by the order.  Simply be sure to make the most of the months’ celebration of this tradition, after all have you really been to Cornwall without having a scone with clotted cream?

Enjoy a lovely relaxing afternoon with your very own cream tea.  Top tip: Daisy’s café in Looe does amazing homemade scones, check them out!

Oh and let’s not get into an argument regarding the pronunciation of ‘Scone’ (rhyming with gone) or Scone (Rhyming with bone!) We’ll save that for another day!

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