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Full Cream Ahead
A slick of luscious strawberry jam, a dollop of rich clotted cream, a buttery, crumbly scone… the classic cream tea has become something of a British institution but its origins are exceedingly humble.
According to food historians, ancient manuscripts chart the cream tea’s genesis back a thousand years to Tavistock in Devon. During the 10th Century, Vikings had plundered and badly damaged the Benedictine Abbey. Ordulf, Earl of Devon, undertook its restoration, rewarding his workforce with bread, clotted cream and his monks’ strawberry jam – the original cream tea. The snack’s popularity grew so much that the monks continued to serve it to passing travellers.
Today, the tradition remains as popular as ever, with tourists from across the globe flocking to enjoy the rich trio of jam, scone and cream. Fierce debate continues to rage between Devon and Cornwall as to which comes first, the cream or the jam – we just say that excess is best!
Grand Jersey Head Chef Nicolas Valmagna and his team bake the freshest scones to enjoy with your cream tea – they also churn their own butter using, of course, Jersey cream!