Now firstly, lets explain the difference, an afternoon tea is sandwiches and cakes served on a delicate cake stand, and a cream tea is a cup of tea with a delicious homemade scone with lashings of jam & clotted and clotted cream.
But where does the cream tea originate? Well, unsurprisingly, it originates from the South west of England in either Devon or Cornwall.
The earliest record of a cream tea comes from Tavistock Abbey in Devon in the 11th century when people ate bread laden with cream & jam, although this wasnt recorded as a cream tea.
The snack arose from the reconstruction of the Abbey under the direction of The Earl of Devon, a chap called Ordulf. his father named Ordgar founded the abbey, but it was plundered by vikings in 997AD and suffered damage.
So Ordulf undertook the construction helped along by local workers. As a reward, the monks fed them bread laden with clotted cream & preserve.
These decadent builders snacks became popular when the monks began serving them to travellers who were passing and heading into Cornwall, and who would have brought tales of their luck with them.
Hundreds of years later and cream tea's are served daily around the country.
Most with Cornish clotted cream but ALWAYS made onsite by the chef or cook and usually served with beautiful local jam.
Here at Abbey Mill we've always preferred the delicious preserve made in Hawkshead by The www.hawksheadrelish.com.
Our scones are served daily from the cafe (to take away or eat at our outside tables at the moment due to covid) and are always served in our afternoon tea boxes whatever time of the year.
Today, make sure you celebrate the quintessential cream tea, get out the baking apron and pop those delicious scones in the oven, or pop down to Abbey mill, we'll put your scone in a box ready for you to take away and serve you a delicious Penningtons tea or coffee to enjoy with it. https://penningtonscoffee.co.uk/
Have a great National cream tea day, make sure you enjoy the delicious, finer things in life!