Cream Tea

So were you up at midnight on New Years Eve? Were you drinking champagne?
We weren't. In fact we struggled to stay awake. 11.30 pm found me making a cream tea. Odd yes, but it worked for us. (grin)
I know the whole concept of a cream tea can be somewhat alien in parts of the world so here is a brief explanation.
Cream Teas are traditionally had in midsummer at tea time (3-5.30pm or 6pm if it follows a 'high' tea).
Contrary to some opinion the cream does not go in the tea, nor is it normal cream. It's clotted cream made by a very slow gentle warming process. It tastes half way between the thickest cream and fresh butter (and by fresh butter I mean that which is made very soon after milking from cows milk where the cows are fed on grass not concentrates). It's instant heart attack stuff.
When I was small there were only two ways to get clotted cream. One was to go down to Devon or Cornwall in the West Country or to have dear friends or family who would arrange to have some posted up to you. (Perhaps Fortnum and Masons used to sell it as well?)
Now you can get it in almost every supermarket in the UK. (Bad bad supermarkets)

Then you need fresh scones. So fresh they are still warm. Some people use cutters to get an even shape, I prefer mine to take on an organic form.
And the strawberry jam, not raspberry, not apricot but strawberry. Then it's a matter of choice, some people butter their scones but that really is gilding the lily.
Dollops of jam and clotted cream in either order onto the scone, a cup of tea and you are in English summer heaven.(we only had raspberry or cheery jam in the house so it wasn't quite as nice)
We're supposed to get snow here this afternoon, I'm quite excited.