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Cream teas

(68 Posts)
Namsnanny Sat 28-Sep-19 15:51:46

I’m inclined to stay in my little grove and stray very little these days, for a number of reasons.
Husband never has been good at coming up with ideas for leisure time, but in the past I had enough ideas for 10 people!
So, I thought I must kick myself up the rear and do something about it.
Came up with going out over the summer ‘testing’ cream teas all over the country!
Weather has been great in and out so we’ve had a great little run around using this idea to spur us into more and more places.
Just come back from Snowdonia (not much walking for us but lovely beautiful scenery isn’t it?).
Rated our cream tea 8 out of 10 scone big enough for two, tea made with loose leaves, lovely bone china cups....and saucers!! Friendly helpful staff, quaint welsh cottage,.....but cream was squirty can cream, not clotted or double hence only 8 points!!!

Any one recommend one more before the season ends?

EllanVannin Sun 29-Sep-19 09:32:39

Sounds like my winter soups, Witzend. You could stand a wooden spoon in the middle of the pan.

I've had many a cream tea in both Devon and Cornwall but the best sandwiches were at a little café/tearoom in Bourton-on- the-Water. I've never had the like of them since. Fresh roast beef and onion, a meal in itself.

AllTheLs Sun 29-Sep-19 09:34:07

We took my son and his fiance to Tir Hwnt ir Bont on their visit from Oz. It was in October and I was expecting to see it in all its Autumn glory as in Namsnanny's photo. Unfortunately, it was too late in the season and all the leaves had disappeared. We should have gone in September, apparently. Still a beautiful place and worth a visit for cream teas anytime.

Legs55 Sun 29-Sep-19 09:35:52

lovebeigecardigans1955 still Cream first here in Devon, clotted of course. Plain scones not fruit ones, home made jam if possible.

Lots of lovely places here in Devon, near me House of Marbles do an excellent Cream Tea but be warned the scones are huge, you can order 1 or 2, I can't manage 2grin

Squirty cream YUKangry

mokryna Sun 29-Sep-19 09:38:18

2nd House of Marbles.

TillyWhiz Sun 29-Sep-19 09:43:07

Fabulous homemade cream tea at Badgers Holt on Dartmoor and joy of joys, they produced a vegan version for my daughter who is post chemo. It made her day - and ours.

grandMattie Sun 29-Sep-19 09:44:54

There are two wonderful places my end of Kent :- Princes Lodge at the Sandwich golf course - damask table cloth, silver teapot, the works for £14 ; the other for £20 at a tiny restaurant in Deal called “The Lane” which offers wonderful stuff. Both are online, both require booking. Good luck!

vickya Sun 29-Sep-19 09:46:43

There are a few places in London do a Mad Hatter's Tea party.
www.morganshotelgroup.com/originals/originals-sanderson-london/eat-drink/mad-hatters-afternoon-tea?cid=PPC:Sanderson:net-conversion&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3K7Pi9L15AIVBcDeCh29lwhZEAAYAiAAEgKI7fD_BwE

lemongrove Sun 29-Sep-19 10:18:43

Having lived in both Devon and Cornwall...the only way that makes sense is jam first then cream! ( Dons tin hat.)

GreenGran78 Sun 29-Sep-19 10:26:39

I have never understood how you can put jam on top of cream either, lemongrove, unless you put jam on one half, cream on the other, then sandwich them together. I wonder if it would keep the natives happy if you jammed first, then turned your scone upside down? hmm

lemongrove Sun 29-Sep-19 10:29:36

I suspect not Greengran....they would probably imagine you had just rolled in from the Shetlands and didn’t know any better.grin

LondonGranny Sun 29-Sep-19 10:35:08

I reckon the jam/cream controversy was a clever marketing ploy cooked up back in the day by GWR to get tourists shuttling back and forth between the two counties to sample both grin

Nanny41 Sun 29-Sep-19 10:39:20

The best cream teas are in Cornwall or Devon and it must be clotted cream.
If you have time to go to Cornwall, in St Ives there is a lovely little cafe "Olives" they do superb cream teas, warm scones plenty of jam and clotted cream, and a gorgeous cup of loose leaf tea.Its a long way to go for it but is worth it.

cmwmoonshine Sun 29-Sep-19 10:51:28

The best cream tea I have ever had was in Bath on our honeymoon! We were advised by our bank manager(?) To visit Sally Lynn's tea shop
They brought out a knife and fork !
Grandmattie nice to see someone else from my end of the country I grew up in Deal now I live in Dover

Growing0ldDisgracefully Sun 29-Sep-19 10:52:09

Squirty isn't real cream, they should be done under the Trades Descriptions Act in my book! Try any of your local National Trust which have a restaurant, they always do a lovely cream tea with huge scones and a choice of jam and real cream. I've also had a devine savoury cream tea at Castle Drogo: a cheese scone, delicious soft potted cheese (Cornish I think it was), with lovely spicy chutney - just a suggestion for a variation. We spend a lot of time in Devon but I'm afraid I always do the Cornish version with jam first, keeping my back to the rest of the tea room in case anyone calls me out on it!

Grannyguitar Sun 29-Sep-19 10:53:10

Book for a cream tea on the North Norfolk Railway. Proper china, lovely scone. Cream comes in a plastic pot, but isn't squirty! All served by smiley volunteers, on a line with views to die for!

RosieJ Sun 29-Sep-19 11:17:21

Living in South Somerset we have access to many great tea rooms. This one is a firm favourite, on the edge of Exmoor between Minehead and Porlock in a lovely setting.
www.facebook.com/Hornerteagardens?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral

Teddy111 Sun 29-Sep-19 12:07:37

Uncle Henrys ,Grayingham Lincolnshire does delicious scones,the aroma when the cover is removed,makes your mouth water.

GeorgyGirl Sun 29-Sep-19 12:19:21

Love Cream Teas, especially with Cornish clotted cream on the scone first - to replace butter! Then jam ! Delish :-)

EllanVannin Sun 29-Sep-19 12:35:38

I often buy clotted cream from Asda---the real McCoy when I make scones then have my own cream tea----minus the china teapot, it's a couple of tea-bags in a china cup instead.

My stomach's rumbling !

newnanny Sun 29-Sep-19 12:49:30

Namsnanny they do a gorgeous cream tea at The Fisherman's Cot which is a pretty village in Devon where there is a Bridge Over Troubled Water which inspired the Simon and Garfunkel song. If it is fine you can sit outside and watch the river over small rapids and if cold/wet watch it from large picture window. Do not forget to put cream on first as is the Devon way.

newnanny Sun 29-Sep-19 12:56:34

Oh EllanVannin I go one further and use one of my bone china teapots, milk jugs and tea cups and saucers from my china collection. I even use a small silver sugar tongs and a tiny silver spoon to stir the tea. It makes it very enjoyable and I always get them out when visitors come. My niece drops by quite often for what she calls my posh tea. grin

Susieque Sun 29-Sep-19 13:30:15

I recently discovered a lovely family run cafe next to a cricket club and allotment very pleasant. Anyway they warm the scones which I now prefer.... lovely with jam and cream ?

Taptan Sun 29-Sep-19 13:34:33

If in North Yorkshire, can’t beat Mama Doreen’s in Harrogate for Afternoon Tea, amazing.

shysal Sun 29-Sep-19 13:39:51

What happened to Cornish 'splits and cream'? My childhood holidays were usually spent in the West Country where the splits were a sweet yeast bun, much nicer (and larger!) than scones.
My aunt and uncle ran a dairy farm in Devon and I have a clear memory of the huge copper pans used to make clotted cream on top of the range.

Ellianne Sun 29-Sep-19 13:43:35

Is that Bickleigh new nanny? We're retiring to Devon so like the sound of that place.
I'm ashamed to admit I like salty butter, clotted cream then jam all on one scone!