Easy English Scones Recipe with Jam & Clotted Cream (2024)

FAQs

Do you put clotted cream or jam on scones first? ›

Cream or jam? Ask the Cornish, and they will tell you that the whole point of cream tea is to have freshly-baked (hopefully still warm) scones, with jam first and clotted cream on top.

The key to a perfect scone is to follow the weight ratio of 2:1:1 – in other words, a 70 gram scone needs 35 grams of jam and 35 grams of cream. Cheng's research – unsurprisingly, as it was sponsored by Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream – concludes that clotted cream is better than whipped cream.

You don't eat them with butter, jam and cream in any order. You can eat them with butter, straight up; or you can use jam, then clotted cream, which I believe is the Devonian habit; or with clotted cream, then jam, which I think is the Cornish approach. But never all three together.

Scone, then strawberry jam then clotted cream. Anything else is not the Cornish way.

The British use double cream in recipes the way we use heavy cream or whipping cream here in the US, but they also allow it to accompany dessert the way we might use ice cream.

Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard. Cut out your scones cleanly. Twisting the cutter can impair the rise. If you use a fluted cutter, you can't twist it.

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.

We love using oil as it is light on animal fat and also very easy to use. Because we serve the scones with butter or whipped cream, it is okay not to use butter in the scone itself. However, if you prefer a scone made with butter, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour resembles a coarse type of grain.

In the U.S, clotted cream would be classed as butter due to its high fat content. Clotted cream is an essential part of a cream tea and is a huge hit with tourists in Devon and Cornwall. So how do you eat a cream tea?

Why is clotted cream not sold in Canada? ›

"The Canadian Government" has not allowed companies the quota to import Clotted Cream from England. If/when independent retail locations import Clotted Cream they would be (and are) subject to a tax and tarrif around 70% of the retail price of the cream.

Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk.

Butter must be COLD from the very start to when the dough enters the oven. The cold butter melts upon entering the oven and the water content in butter evaporates in steam. As the steam escapes, it bursts up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture.

perfect preparation. You'll need to split your scone in half (by breaking, not cutting), then spread your jam before dolloping some clotted cream on top. Oh, and never use whipped cream; it's utterly improper.

Well, according to Darren McGrady, a former chef who worked for the Royal Family for over 10 years, the Queen prefered jam first. He tweeted: “The Queen always had home-made Balmoral jam first with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.”

The best way to eat a scone is slathered with strawberry jam, then topped with a dollop of cream. The jam-first method — approved by Mary Berry — yields a better scone in looks and texture.

Cream goes on first. Clotted cream is like butter – if the scone were bread you wouldn't put butter on top of your jam would you! When the Cream tea was invented jam was expensive so you'd only put a little on top. You can put more cream on if it goes on first.

While those in Devon normally spread the cream on first followed by jam, the Cornish custom is to spread jam initially followed by cream.