Chudleighs (small, light Devon splits)Spread the cream first and drop the jam on top.
Cornish splits (slightly sweet white rolls)Pull one open, spread the jam and crown it with a spoonful.
Hot cross bunsToast the halves and use the cream where the butter would go.
Saffron bunsSplit one, toast the cut sides and spread it thick.
Warm sconesSplit them by hand while they are warm and load both halves.
Jam, syrup and treacle 3
Black treacleUse a thin thread of it, since it is strong and a little bitter.
Golden syrupTrickle it over cream on bread or a split for thunder and lightning.
Strawberry jamPile it under the cream or over it, and settle the argument yourself.
Cakes, biscuits and griddle bakes 5
Cornish fairings (ginger biscuits)Sandwich a spoonful between two biscuits and eat it at once.
Drop scones (Scotch pancakes)Stack a few and let a spoonful melt over the top.
Heavy cake (hevva cake)Serve a square with a spoonful on the side for dipping.
Toasted panettoneToast a thick slice and spoon the cream on while it is hot.
Welsh cakesEat them warm from the griddle with a dab on top.
Puddings, tarts and ice cream 10
Chestnut puréeSweeten the purée, pile it in a glass and top it with the cream.
Christmas puddingPut a cold spoonful on the hot pudding and let it slide.
Dark chocolate tartA thin slice and a small spoonful are plenty of each.
Junket (sweetened milk set with rennet)Spoon the cream over the top and grate on a little nutmeg.
Pear and almond tartGood warm or cold, with the cream on the side.
Sugar and rose water, in layers (cabbage cream)Layer the cream with sugar and a few drops of rose water in a glass dish.
Summer puddingCut a wedge and add a spoonful where the juice has pooled.
Tarte TatinServe the tart warm so the cream starts to melt into the caramel.
Vanilla ice creamSet a spoonful on top of the scoop and eat the two together.
Whortleberry (bilberry) pieLift the lid of a hot slice and tuck a spoonful inside.
Fruit 5
Fresh strawberriesHull them, leave them whole and dip.
LoganberriesCrush a few into the cream and leave the others whole.
Poached quinceServe the slices cold in their syrup with a spoonful on top.
Roasted apricotsHalve them, roast until soft and fill each hollow.
Stewed blackcurrantsSharp fruit suits it. Serve the currants just warm.
Savory dishes 3
Mashed potatoBeat a spoonful into the hot mash in place of butter.
Scrambled eggsStir a little in at the end, off the heat.
Squab pie (mutton and apple pie)Serve a spoonful beside a hot slice, as you would with a fruit pie.
Borrowed from kaymak, a similar cream 3
Armenian sweet bread (gata)Tear off a piece and spread it while the bread is warm.
Iraqi pastry bread with date syrup (kahi)Spread the cream on the warm pastry and pour the syrup over it.
Shredded pastry in syrup (kadaif)Set a spoonful on each piece to cut the sweetness.
Drinks 2
A pot of teaBrew it strong enough to stand up to the cream.
Rooibos teaFor anyone at the table who skips black tea.
How it works
What to eat with clotted cream? Scones or splits with strawberry jam come first. These 36 ideas add West Country bakes, puddings, fruit, three savory dishes, three borrowed from a similar cream and two drinks without alcohol.
Read the full guide
The cream tea in Devon and Cornwall
Clotted cream is tied to the dairy farms of Devon and Cornwall, and a cream tea is built on it: warm scones and strawberry jam. The more traditional bread is a split, a slightly sweet white roll. Many Cornish families still use splits at home, and Devon has a smaller one, lighter than a scone, called a Chudleigh.
What to eat clotted cream with away from the tea table
Junket, a dish of sweetened milk set with rennet, was usually served with it, and in Devon squab pie, a pie of mutton and apples, can be too. Devon also sets a spoonful on ice cream. Kaymak, a similar cream made from the Balkans to Central Asia, is eaten with sweet breads and syrupy pastries, which suit clotted cream too.
Take the cream out of the fridge a little before the scones are ready, so it spreads without tearing them.
Leave the butter off: a scone with clotted cream needs nothing else under the jam.
Questions and answers
What do you eat clotted cream with?
With warm scones and strawberry jam, as a cream tea. Saffron buns, hot cross buns, Welsh cakes and drop scones take it the same way: split, toasted or stacked, under a thick spoonful.
What can you eat clotted cream with besides scones?
Puddings and fruit: Christmas pudding, summer pudding, tarte Tatin, a dark chocolate tart, fresh strawberries or stewed blackcurrants. It is cooked with too: beat a spoonful into mashed potato or stir it through scrambled eggs.
Does the jam or the clotted cream go on first?
Both are right. The Devon way is cream first with the jam on top. The Cornish way is jam first with a spoonful of cream on top. Cream teas are served both ways in both counties.
What is thunder and lightning with clotted cream?
A slice of bread or a Cornish split spread with clotted cream, then trickled with golden syrup, honey or treacle. It is a variation on the cream tea.
What do you drink with clotted cream and scones?
A pot of tea, which is part of every cream tea. Some sources advise serving it without milk.