Cream teas

The Railway Tearoom in Belper, Derbyshire is fabulous

Ellianne I'm with you on the salty butter addition. Note to self - book that cholesterol blood test!

I've had many cream teas all over the UK but the scones are either fruity (I prefer plain) or huge oversized ones.
Cream is sometimes the aerated variety and jam, strawberry.
My favourites are my home baked scones, warm, with either Jersey or good French butter topped with Bon Maman raspberry conserve or the conserve topped with Rodda's Cornish clotted cream...plus a pot of loose leaf tea and finger sandwiches. ???

EllanVannin - what is it about China cups or mugs- it makes it all taste so much better. Never drink coffee or tea in thick earthenware. No snobbisnesh- it just tastes different and wrong.

Never order cream tea before checking that they serve with proper clotted cream, for sure.

SQUIRTY CREAM, on a scone! Disgraceful! It would have been no stars from me no matter how damn good the scone was!

There is only one thing that squirty cream can possibly be good for, and it forms no part of a cream tea!

There is a lovely tea shop in Birmingham called Pigeon's Parlour. They do afternoon teas, rather than cream teas. It's a 1940s themed tea shop and it's very quaint.

Nul points for squirty cream, hasn’t it got lots of oil and additives in it? The kids like it on top of hot chocolate and it looks disgusting.

phoenix do tell what you use the squirty cream for?

Just noticed (having crumpets with butter and jam) that it's Bonne Maman not Bon Maman...oops!

lemongrove I do not use squirty cream at all, but I have been told that it can play a part in some "games".

I've just read that at Buckingham Palace tea parties it's jam first then cream on top. Apparently that's how the Queen likes it.

Shysal, Cornish splits just aren't made any longer. Such a shame, the taste and lightness incomparable. Though I did dig out a recipe for a sweet yeast bun ages ago which looked like it could be similar. Thanks for reminding me!!
Ellianne, of course the Queen puts jam on first, her son is the Duke of Cornwall

I thought the photo was Bibury too. We went there regularly when my kids were small. It was a favourite Sunday afternoon trip out. My favourite cream teas though were on a farm at the foot of White Horse Hill near Uffington. I don't know if they still do them as we moved away from the area 16 years ago but we were regulars there when local. If the weather was good you could sit in the orchard and watch the geese in a nearby pen. On less pleasant days you could sit in the barn where there was a little gift shop too. When my kids were small I made cards and pictures to sell and I used to sell some through the gift shop. It was open from about Easter until September or October.

I live in Cornwall and so spoilt for choice.

Rosemergy Farmhouse Cream Teas - North Cornish coast midway between St. Ives and St. Just

£6 each you get a huge pot of tea and 2 freshly home baked scones each with luxury jam and clotted cream.

had a simply delicious cream tea recently, just outside Bovey Tracey in Devon. Lovely little cafe in a place called Parke. Much to be recommended! Loads of wonderful clotted cream and lovely jam and fresh hot scones.
I always assumed the cream was a butter substitute, therefore that goes on before the jam and melts into the warm scones. Can't imagine doing the jam first........but that's just me.

What a lovely thing to do Namsnanny and so good to get you out and about. Have you thought of trying to publish your findings or at least put them into a blog as I’m sure others would be interested. Having an ongoing theme for outings has always seemed right for myself and DH although I did get a bit bored with yet another visit to a steam railway! My youngest daughter was a talented athlete and before she could drive I spent many years touring the UK and sometimes abroad but only ever managed to see athletic stadiums. We marked these out of 10 but this was based on the toilets - not quite as enjoyable as cream teas but very necessary!