The “foodie” highlight of my trip to Devon in England last week, to visit my Mother, was to disappear for an hours peace and quiet and seriously indulge myself with a “Devon Clotted Cream Tea”.
I had not intended to succumb to temptation due to my expanding waistline, diet, sense of guilt etc, but as I walked past all the cafes and saw people eating “cream teas”, I could not resist.
Cream teas are to Piglet like Eve’s “apple” was to Adam. To be honest, after just 24hrs with my Mother I was definitely in need of some comfort food. Please trust me when I tell you I needed an hour or two alone for my nerves to recover and gather my thoughts for the next onslaught. My Mother, at 85, is not only cantankerous, but as difficult to reason with as a nest full of angry wasps. This drains me both physically and mentally.
A Devon Cream Tea, for the uninitiated, usually consists of a scone, thick clotted cream and homemade jam plus a pot of tea. Hmmm delicious
This is probably as typically English as you can get. Yes, the cream and jam combination gives me the heartburn from hell, but occasionally it’s worth suffering the discomfort.
Sitting down at a pavement café in the sunshine I placed my order for a Devon Cream Tea and waited for it to arrive.
Two women sat at the table opposite chatting about this and that. It made such a change for me to be able to eavesdrop on a conversation I could actually understand. My Cream Tea arrived; a pot of tea, TWO scones, a dish of jam and real devon clotted cream – what a treat!
I carefully cut each of the scones in half, spooned on the jam and then the clotted cream – a food orgy indeed! I was just about to take my first mouthful when I heard one of the women on the table opposite say…
“Oooh I could only eat one of these scones, two is just plain greedy”
I felt absolutely mortified for being such a glutton and wished the ground would open up to devour both me and my Devon Cream Tea; at least I could finish one or maybe two scones away from their prying eyes.
Hey, the diet starts tomorrow – live for today!
Related posts:
I hate diets because I love food…
Mrs Blobby’s 10kg Fat Attack!
SCONE RECIPE
This is a really simple recipe for scones. I am unable to buy the clotted cream in Portugal but I can still enjoy them with my homemade jam.
Ingredients
8oz plain flour
pinch of salt
½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 level teaspoons cream of tartar
1½oz margarine
4 tablespoons (approx) of milk
4 tablespoons (approx) of water
Method
Mix together (sift) flour, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda into large bowl.
Cut up margarine into small chunks and rub into flour until breadcrumb texture.
Gradually add milk and water and form into soft, but manageable dough.
Roll the dough to about ½” thick.
With pastry cutter cut into 2” rounds cutting as many scones as possible by utilizing the trimmings.
Place scones onto a preheated ungreased baking tray and brush with them with milk.
Bake near top of oven 450F for approx 10mins, until risen and are lightly golden brown.
Piglet in Portugal 
Oh thanks for that, it tasted delicious! Living in France I too miss English treats like that and although I love baking scones are one of the things that I can’t get quite right. I reckon those ladies sit there once or twice a week munching their one scone – so they eat more of them than you do anyway!
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Hi Jacqui and welcome 🙂
Hmmm virtual tasting is better for the waistline LOL. My scones usually turn out like bullets 🙂
Cheers
PiP
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Hi Soapbird if only we could enjoy food virtually we would not gain weight!
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Oooo delicious! Uh man…. I just gained 10 lbs! darn genes! tee…hee…
Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂
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Now I’m hungry… I love clotted cream on scones… 🙂
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Ha ha a fellow foodie!
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*sigh* Definitely one of my favourites too! Agree this is a disaster for the waistline, but OH SO Delicious. I’m jealous!
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Hi TO I am paying for my indulgence now!
This little piggy feels well and truly stuffed and ready for market!
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here they are called ‘devonshire teas’ and a favourite of Mr FD!
My Mother, at 85, is not only cantankerous, but as difficult to reason with as a nest full of angry wasps
Why are they like that? Mr FD’s mother is causing all sorts of problems by demanding to leave the care facility, even though it would mean SIL having to give up her own independence to care for her. My mother won’t listen to reason either. Why we they get worse with age – or were they always like that but it never impacted on us earlier?
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FD, it’s so sad and I’m dreading getting to that point. I used to be a stressy bessy when I had a stressful job in Sales and managed a large office but I am mellowing with age and am certainly more laid back LOL
I hope my daughter is not reading this!
I learned from my last visit you can’t reason with them as there arguments aren’t logical
Good luck with your “wasps nests” we love them to bits thats why we keep getting stung!
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As they say Penny
“A moment on the lips is forever on the hips” 🙂
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The scones look yummy ! Isn’t it terrible we are always on a diet ! especially when we love food !! 🙂
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““Oooh I could only eat one of these scones, two is just plain greedy”
You see there are some advatanges of being unable to understand conversations on next table.
😉
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LOL I did not think one of the said ladies would be reading my blog 🙂
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You should have replied: And I could never comment on a stranger’s eating habits. That’s just plain rude.
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or just made piggy snuffling noises LOL 🙂
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Hi Noob,
Yes, i do miss England…but funny enough it’s more to do with language and family than anything else. However, I was amazed at how poop free the streets were and dogs were always on a lead!- as you know I am terrified of dogs so this was a def plus!
Family is also another factor. I had not seen my sons since Christmas, and life passes us by too quickly,
Think I only miss the food becaus I can’t get some of it here 🙂
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2 Clotted cream scones is never greedy! That kind of heavenly food expects, no, demands to be taken seriously and 2 is a good number! I was going to ask if being back in England made you yearn to be back amongst the folk of your home country, but considering the rude ladies sat near you I somehow doubt the answer would be yes!
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Tis true RNP. Still I’ve taken something positive away from their comments!
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Sometimes it’s good to be greedy…women can be such cows…
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Thanks, PiP, for sharing such a delicious story. 🙂
Two scones sounds just right…we all know you dedicated one of them to all of your fellow bloggers!
My husband and I used to go to an ice cream shop in CT where the owner made his own ice cream. It was heavenly! He had a bulletin board where he posted letters from satisfied customers. One letter was from an 85 year-old woman who said the only thing she regretted about her life was that she should have eaten more ice cream. So you were spot-on with the two scones and the clotted cream…some things are just meant to be enjoyed to the fullest. 🙂
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Hi Vivian,
Funny enough I was thinking of my fellow bloggers when I was eating them! I did not have internet access so I could not keep up with everyones posts…
I love the comment from 85year old woman (same age as my mother)
SSSShhh they also sell homemade clotted cream ice creams in Devon – I hope Mr Piglet’s not reading because I had one of those as well! 😳 No wonder I’ve come home feeling ready to be hog roasted 🙂 LOL
PiP
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I’d never here of clotted cream and cringed at the word clotting, but after reading your explanation of what it is, it sounds delicious.
I think we all need a little ‘me time’ sometimes. As much as we may love our families, a bit of breathing room for a short time sometimes makes for a happier visit and more positive family time.
Thanks for sharing the recipe for scones. I may have to try and make some of them.
🙂
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Hi EC,
Trust me it is delicious, especially with strawberries!
Another poster shared her recipe here.
http://psoutowood.wordpress.com/bread/cream-scones/
My recipe is basic to have with Jam
Unfortunately, my mother is a very uncompromising and angry character. This makes me sad as she has forgotten how to laugh at the world and herself. Laughter died on my lips in her presence…she would drive a saint to drink!…or four scones!:oops:
PiP
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Mmmm – I love Devonshire Scones with clotted cream and jam – it’s the ultimate indulgence! Good job I don’t live in the UK anymore!
When those ladies commented (which was very rude), it was probably because they were jealous, wishing they had the nerve to order the same!
I’m glad you enjoyed them thoroughly, in spite of their stares. Good onya!
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Hi Barb,
I have a foodie list when I return to the UK but it’s strange how the list is becoming smaller and I yearn certain foods less each time. What do you miss, if anything?
As for the women, well what can one say…it rained the following day and they were on holiday. 🙂 Their stares did make me feel a little uncomfrotable, but I enjoyed my foodie treat non-the-less
🙂
PiP
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Some people should not be allowed to speak in public! I would love to be able to come up with the perfect response that sounds sweet but is actually laced with arsenic…I hope you didn’t let her ruin your wonderful “foodie moment”…I wish I could have been there to enjoy it with you!
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Hi Jeanne
The scone oozing with cream and jam did pause momentarily between mouth and plate under their hawk-like gaze. I ate both of them AND enjoyed every crumb. 🙂 I just imagined myself back in Portugal eating the cream tea in a little cafe overlooking the ocean. I would loved to have shared the moment with you Jeanne and then we could have taken my Mother (wasp nest) out in her wheelchair. I can’t manage to push her alone.
Live dangerously!
PiP
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I love my Cream Tea! There is a tea house near where my sister lives and every year we go there to celebrate our birthdays. I’d be eating 2 scones right there with you. It’s such a treat. My mouth is watering now, too!
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Excellent -you are a woman after my own heart! 🙂
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Haha! Don’t be embarassed – even Devonians get it wrong 😉
And I’ve never heard of a “Devon” pasty anyway… mind you, it’s many years since I lived there.
I haven’t found ANY real cream here yet (in Berlin) so will more than make up for it when I visit Devon next month.
(My mouth is actually watering now!)
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Enjoy, and when you sit down to your Cream Tea…think of me 🙂
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Oh no! You’ve got the cream and jam around the wrong way :-O Cream first, jam on top. Otherwise they are Cornish cream teas… http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/8692662.stm
From a slightly pedantic expat Devonian who is now desperately craving a REAL cream tea!
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Oh no! and I did mentally debate which should go on first!
I’d already annoyed the butcher by asking for a Cornish Pasty – tourists! grrrrr LOL 😳
Can you buy real cream where you are now located…I really miss that aspect of the UK. DECENT cream! Where are you living now?
cheers
PiP 😳
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Holy Bunny! I love scones almost more than I love carrots, but I’ve never baked them. Those look sooooo good with the clotted-cream. I am going to get into some serious scone meking with the recipes you and @psoutowood have provided. Thank you so much for this delicious update and photos!
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Hi BB
I also eat with my eyes!
The scone recipe I posted is plain because the cream and jam combination are so rich.
My favourite are scones with sultanas in 🙂
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Pity the poor souls who are afraid to indulge – life’s too short!
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I hated them because they were positively twiglike! They made me feel like shrek!
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Oh my word…I would have looked over and said jealousy makes you ugly!!!
The look scrumptious.
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LOL 🙂 Love it! I laughed out loud when I read your comment…only you Granny could come up with that…I would so love to meet you 🙂
PiP
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That looks like the perfect afternoon treat! I’ve messed about with scone recipes and found one I really like, though it’s a bit richer than yours. I put it on my blog here: http://psoutowood.wordpress.com/bread/cream-scones/
Whatever recipe you use, making scones for family, friends, and let’s be honest, for yourself, is pretty easy and phenomenally rewarding!
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That looks a great recipe…I will give it a try. Thanks 🙂
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I wouldn’t care one whit what they said . . . I would have taken a huge bite, looked over at them, and said, “LIGHTEN UP AND LIVE A LITTLE!” 😀
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I was tempted…but my mouth was full of scone and cream…LOL 🙂
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I bet at that exact moment you wished that you couldn’t understand a word!!
The scones look beautiful, and I would have eaten the two of them, (even though I may have felt slightly sick after all that cream – I wouldn’t have been able to help myself).
Anyway I’m sure your nerves needed at least two scones by the sound of it.
Thanks for the recipe, I’ll test it 🙂
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A portuguese lady had already told me I was fat and needed to walk more. I was not sure she said that but Gordo (fat) and Andar (walk) Mais (more)
I did feel sick after eating both scones! Serves me right…I am now on a serious diet 😦
PiP
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What? There are some really charming people in the world, aren’t there?
Truthfully, I do think people who comment on the size of another have their own issues. Only diet if you want to. What’s important is your good health and how you feel about yourself.
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I do laugh at myself, but the laughter dies on the lips when you can no longer button your clothes. :oops:Bit of a reality check. Hey ho! Now I have the pictures I can enjoy them virtually 🙂
PiP
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