Devon or Cornwall? That would normally be a debate for anyone planning their Cornwall holidays or a summer staycation in Devon. However the scone debate is all about one of the great traditions of these two great counties. The Great British cream tea. There is no doubting the quality of the ingredients. The scones, the clotted cream and the jam from both Devon and Cornwall, are of the finest quality you will find anywhere in the British Isles.
The real debate here is how the scone should be served. The first way is jam topped with clotted cream. The second way is clotted cream topped with jam. If you didn’t know already the Cornish way is to have clotted cream and then jam on top. The Devon way is to have the jam first and then clotted cream on top. This may seem like a trivial matter to some. But for the local people either side of the Tamar River. It has been a bone of contention for many centuries.
Queen Elizabeth II decides?…
A keen champion of the best of British traditions. Queen Elizabeth the second, according to one of here former chefs, preferred the jam on first. Darren McGrady, who worked for the royal family for nearly a decade wrote on his Twitter account.
“Jam first at Buckingham Palace garden parties!”
He went on to say…
“The Queen always had homemade Balmoral jam first,” the chef and author added in a subsequent tweet, “with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.”
Does it really matter?
The difference between a Devon and Cornish scone doesn’t really matter. Just make sure your scone is topped with clotted cream from the West Country. Then a spoonful of jam from one of their fantastic producers. Whichever one comes first, cream or jam, it’s up to you!