The name “clotted cream” leaves a lot to be desired, but my latent Anglophilia has me wanting to give this mystery product a go. I have no idea what to expect, but after a childhood brush (read: trauma) with steak & kidney pie, I’m definitely skittish.
Is clotted cream spread on toast, a crumpet, a scone?
Is it sweet?
And–dare I ask–is it indeed clotted in any way, shape or form? 
P.S. What’s the deal with Devon cream?
Clotted cream is fatty cream allowed to heat and cool. It has the consistency of molasses, tastes good on scones, and will cause your heart to clot if you eat too much of it. Devon cream is fatty cream from Devon, in southwest England.
It sounds delicious. I just have no idea where to buy it except online.
It’s usually spread on top of warm scones with jam, and it’s delicious! Here’s a recipe:
To make clotted cream you need full cream jersey or a similar milk. The quantity can vary to suit the size basin one uses, with a minimum of 1 litre or 2 pints to make it worthwhile. Pour milk into a basin and leave in a cool place (not freezer) for at least 8 hours until the cream has risen to the top. Then put the basin carefully over a saucepan of boiling water - not letting any water get into the milk. A pudding basin will rest on the rim of the right sized saucepan. Let the water simmer on a slow boil until the cream begins to show a raised ring around the edge and the surface begins to bubble. When sufficiently cooked in about 3/4 - 1 hour take off heat - lift basin carefully and place in a cool place. Skim cream gently off the surface into a dish and enjoy it!
My understanding is that Clotted cream is heated and cooled, while Devonshire cream is just skimmed off the top of milk that is not heated. Is that right?
I think I’ve seen jars of both clotted and Devon cream at World Market, and in the International section of my grocery store (Heinen’s and Giant Eagle).
Now I’m hungry. And all I have is creme fraiche, and no strawberries. Darn.
Our local Tea Shop has it. (Along with pasties…bliss!) It’s not bad atall.
So good. So very good…
Clotted cream rules dude. It frakkin’ rules!
It’s like, um… It’s like butter if butter was like lard and… No, it’s not really anything like that. But it’s good.
The name sucks.
Clotted cream is mostly about mouthfeel - it’s smoother and more viscous (and yet, oddly, at the same time, lumpy) than other kinds of cream. The taste is distinct, but only subtly so - a bit more ‘buttery’ than, say, double cream.
Wars have been fought in the western part of England over the components and assembly of a ‘cream tea’ - should it be plain or fruited scones? - should it be scones at all? (some places use other baked goods that are like scones, to a greater or lesser degree) - raspberry jam, or strawberry? - should it include fresh fruit? - and most divisive of all: cream first, or jam first?
Fruited scones?!
Other baked goods?!
Jam first?!
Oh, the heresy!
Really, Mangetout, you should know better than to stir up the old controversies about the scone wars!
They should be sultana scones (not mixed fruit and definitely not cherry), no butter, strawberry jam and then oodles of clotted cream. With tea. None of yer poncy variations of coffee, just proper tea. In a china cup. Poured from a teapot, through a strainer.
I’ll have to confess that I prefer Earl Grey as an accompaniment to sweet items such as cakes and, yes, cream teas. But I come from Hampshire, so that probably explains it.
Oh, the other thing I forgot to mention is whether it’s pronounced ‘scone’ or ‘scone’.
I’m going with ‘scone’.
Obviously, it’s pronounced “scone”, until you’ve eaten it and then it’s “scone”. I’m Cornish, I should know these things…
Really? I’ve always pronounced it ‘scone’. Oh well.
Just look at this picture of a “cream tea.” Look at the amount of clotted cream on those suckers! I’m drooling just thinking about it. The only thing is, I think it’s best with black, unsweetened tea. You’ve got plenty of dairy smoothness and jam sweetness - you want some nice astringent tea to contrast!
I’ve tried doing my own cream tea, and while my scones (rhymes with “buns” from what I’ve heard) weren’t as tall as they might have been, and I only had Devon cream, not clotted cream, it was still utter bliss. Warm scone, rich, thick cream, tangy sweet jam, and some nice strong TGFOP Darjeeling.
I think I’ll have to go out today and check World Market to see if I can get clotted cream without mail ordering it.
Take the hat off a warm mince pie. Add a piece of clotted cream. Put hat back on. Eat as it begins to ooze.
Sadly, it doesn’t travel and local versions (at least here) just remind you of what they’re not.
An insult to a mince pie - a strong piece of stilton is the only thing allowed in a mince pie. 
Si