The Great Cream Tea Debate

Southwestern England is proud of its cream tea tradition.  This consists of scones served with tea, a spreadable cream and some sort of jam.  Pictured here is my cream tea served with an ocean view in north Devon.  Regional food debates are the stuff of legends.  Around here the debate is between the county of Devon who insist on cream first then jam, and the neighboring county of Cornwall who insist on jam first then the cream.  As you can see, when in Devon, I err on the side of the locals (so as not to offend).  Honestly, I have had this both ways and I am reminded of my father’s words of wisdom, “it all ends up in the same stomach eventually.”  Either way they are a real delight, especially paired with this setting.  They say that the last thing an immigrant gives up is the ice box (native cuisine), I have no doubt more than a few wars have been started over food and other cultural differences.  Let’s hope there isn’t a skirmish about to break out on the Devon-Cornwall border over the great cream tea debate…  Cheers!