As the UK celebrates the start of Afternoon Tea Week, the age-old debate over how to serve scones has been settled by the biggest-ever survey.
The survey, conducted by AfternoonTea.co.uk, found that 66 per cent of people prefer to put the jam before the cream on their scones, with 34 per cent preferring cream first.
The survey of more than 4,000 Afternoon Tea lovers, also found that 42 per cent of people like to put butter on their scones – in addition to the jam and cream!
The rivalry between Cornwall and Devon over cream teas has been going on for decades. The Cornish way is to serve jam on the bottom, with the Devonians placing the cream on first.
Award-winning chef and restaurateur, Adam Handling, who has just launched a new Afternoon Tea at his Ugly Butterfly restaurant in Cornwall, said: “I speak to people in both Cornwall and Devon and they have conflicting opinions. For me, it’s all about the type of cream I’m using – if it’s Cornish clotted cream, I want to spoon lots of it on my scone and then drizzle the jam on the top. However, if I’m using whipped cream, I’d do it the other way around.”
Keith Newton, managing director of AfternoonTea.co.uk said: “Scones with jam and cream are an essential part of any traditional Afternoon Tea and our customers often enquire how they should be served.”
Afternoon Tea Week (7 to 13 August 2023) is a celebration of one of the nation’s favourite traditions. Whether enjoyed in a luxury hotel, or as a home baked treat, the British love the combination of savoury and sweet treats, accompanied by some of the 100 million cups of tea drunk each day in the UK.