The Cream Tea Diaries

June 29
Following on from our strong start to the season, was this delightful treat. Location: The Savill Garden visitor centre café/canteen, Old Windsor Scones: white, large, fruited, one of. Normally I’d prefer a cream tea with two scones, but these were large enough and the day merry enough that it did not dampen my spirits. Crumbly, bready texture. Pleasing. The ever contentious butter: absent. Butter was available within the canteen, but it was not specifically provided as part of the cream tea ensamble. Jam: Wilkin & Sons Ltd strawberry, by Tiptree. One single-serving pot. Ample to cover the scone and compensate for the lack of butter on the dryness front. Cream: a single-serving pot of Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream. Just enough for the large scone, but no room to go overboard. Fresh and just below room temperature. Perfect. Tea: a good English cuppa in a stainless steel pot, enough for two cups. Small jug of fresh, cold milk. Very pleasing. Assembly style: scone-jam-cream (SJC). Rating: an ample 8/10.

Following on from our strong start to the season, was this delightful treat.

Location: The Savill Garden visitor centre café/canteen, Old Windsor

Scones: white, large, fruited, one of. Normally I’d prefer a cream tea with two scones, but these were large enough and the day merry enough that it did not dampen my spirits. Crumbly, bready texture. Pleasing.

The ever contentious butter: absent. Butter was available within the canteen, but it was not specifically provided as part of the cream tea ensamble.

Jam: Wilkin & Sons Ltd strawberry, by Tiptree. One single-serving pot. Ample to cover the scone and compensate for the lack of butter on the dryness front.

Cream: a single-serving pot of Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream. Just enough for the large scone, but no room to go overboard. Fresh and just below room temperature. Perfect.

Tea: a good English cuppa in a stainless steel pot, enough for two cups. Small jug of fresh, cold milk. Very pleasing.

Assembly style: scone-jam-cream (SJC).

Rating: an ample 8/10.

April 18
The 2009 cream tea season got off to a good start today with this little beauty. Location: The Chiltern Open Air Museum visitors tea room. Scones: white, fruitless, two of. (I’d eaten half by the time I’d taken the photo.) Slightly doughy, but not enough to spoil them. The ever contentious butter: present. Two small packets (one pictured), which was twice the amount required to cover the scones. The butter was soft, but not runny. Jam: Robertson’s classic strawberry, in two single-serving pots. Very nice, and just the right amount without wastage. Jam had bits in, as is right and proper. Cream: a small dish of fresh clotted creme - source unknown. Ample in quantity and very delicious. Tea: standard issue tea room tea in a standard issue tea room stainless steal teapot for one. Milk jug. Very nice, but not exceptional. Assembly style: scone-butter-jam-cream (SBJC). Rating: a firm 7/10.

The 2009 cream tea season got off to a good start today with this little beauty.

Location: The Chiltern Open Air Museum visitors tea room.

Scones: white, fruitless, two of. (I’d eaten half by the time I’d taken the photo.) Slightly doughy, but not enough to spoil them.

The ever contentious butter: present. Two small packets (one pictured), which was twice the amount required to cover the scones. The butter was soft, but not runny.

Jam: Robertson’s classic strawberry, in two single-serving pots. Very nice, and just the right amount without wastage. Jam had bits in, as is right and proper.

Cream: a small dish of fresh clotted creme - source unknown. Ample in quantity and very delicious.

Tea: standard issue tea room tea in a standard issue tea room stainless steal teapot for one. Milk jug. Very nice, but not exceptional.

Assembly style: scone-butter-jam-cream (SBJC).

Rating: a firm 7/10.