There's nothing more Devonshire that a gurt big dollop of clotted cream, on pretty much whatever takes your fancy.
Unless you're from Cornwall of course. Then there's nothing more Cornish than a gurt big dollop of clotted cream, on pretty much whatever takes your fancy.
If you're born and bred in the Westcountry, like we are, you'll know what I'm talking about!
For readers who aren't in the know, Clotted Cream is a very thick cream with a much higher butter fat content than double cream. It's spreadable and has a thick crust on the surface and a luxurious, rich flavour.
It has a long history in Devon and Cornwall. I have an elderly friend who remembers her mother regularly making it when she was a child. They used a large flat pan on the aga. Top quality, golden cream and butter, from grass-fed cows, would gently simmer to remove the water content.
It's not known the exact origin of this cream, although it's possible it was introduced to England by Phoenician settlers around 2000 years ago. The clotting of cream was a way of preserving buffalo milk. By removing the watery liquid, leaving mainly butterfat, the growth of moulds and bacteria are prohibited. There's an old Devonshire saying that not even a witch’s breath could turn it sour!
History aside, this cream is very much part of Devon and Cornwall today. A traditional cream team consists of scones with clotted cream and jam. There is a regional (and important) difference! In Devon, it's cream first, then the jam. In Cornwall, it's jam first, then the cream. Cream first for us please.
Not just for Scones
Clotted cream isn't just for scones. It's delicious on ice cream (many ice cream shops in Devon serve it as an extra) It's also delicious with most hot desserts - sticky toffee pudding, apple crumble, plum tart. If you're willing to break way from tradition, we recommend serving clotted cream with our gourmet cookies!
Now that's a gurt big dollop!