Tea, Cream Tea

Not every afternoon, but sometimes, we would stop our adventures mid afternoon and seek out a tea room that served Cream Tea.

On our first trip to England, we kept seeing the "Cream Tea" signs and being from America, could imagine a cup of tea with a heady crown of whipped cream.

Alas, our third day we did stop for one of those "Cream Teas" and found, alas, no whipped cream on top of the tea, but rather a pot of clotted cream to be eaten on the scone. Always, the cream is "clotted" and sometimes it's Devonshire, sometimes it's Cornish and at other times it's Cotswold.

And although they are all "Cream Teas" -- you'll see that they are all different. Gone is the dear china cups and saucers that we had on earlier visits. Replaced by commercial white china.

But the tea is always good, the scones, as you'll see vary from place to place and the cream may be called by different names but it is always the same. The jam -- strawberry. Always strawberry.

Our first Cream Tea -- our "first" day (the day you land, pick up the car and drive to your first place IS NOT the "first" day!) -- in the village of Lymington at a small shop.

Then, a lovely tea shop and cream tea in Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds

The village of Winchcomb and a dear tea room and the biggest of any of the scones!

Of course, we had a Cream Tea "at home" at Blue Row.

And touring Shakespeare's Haunts makes one "peckish" in the afternoon and so a tea at Stratford Upon Avon.

Lavender scones, bought not baked, delicious served with cream and jam in the garden at Blue Row.

A little crooked house is now a dear tea room in Windsor.

Our last day, in Windsor, near the Castle, a darling tea room.

For our last tea of scones and cream and jam. Sigh. . . .

My waistline is probably happy that that was my last cream tea. Alas, clotted cream is non-existent in my town on the prairie, rare in the city to the north and when you can find it, it is pricey (and to think in England the grocery stores have it and it cost 90 p!!!!)

It's Friday and I can't think of a better food to share with Michael at Designs by Gollum than the Cream Teas we had during our stay in England.

I must say that the scones varied from tea room to tea room. They're easy to make and my newest favorite recipe is Whipping Cream Scones. They're easy to make and oh, so good!!!

WHIPPING CREAM SCONES

2 cups self-rising flour

1 t. sugar

1 c. whipping cream

Combine all ingredients, mix well. Dough will be stiff. Turn dough on floured surface; knead 10 to 12 times. Roll dough to 3/8 inch thick. Cut scones with round cutter. Brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 T. water). Bake on lightly greased baking sheet at 450 for 10 to 12 minutes.

NOTE: You can add a handful of sultanas for fruit scones if you wish, and you can sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.