# Question for Brit Dopers- 'splain "clotted cream"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528 "2001-05-26T00:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![moggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@moggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moggy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/1 "2001-05-26T00:38:24Z")
What exactly IS clotted cream? Is it just whipping cream that has been whipped to a certain consistency? Is it sweetened? And why is it called “clotted”? That isn’t a word I want to associate with food. ---
**Author:** ![Fyodor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/958977/32.png) [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/2 "2001-05-26T01:39:00Z")
I ain’t a Brit but: Take full cream milk, fresh from the cow. Pour it into a shallow pan, and leave it standing for about 12 hours for the cream to rise to the surface. Then heat the milk very slowly, until the surface begins to wrinkle. Do not let the milk boil. The more slowly the heating the better - about one hour of gentle heating. Leave the pan overnight in a cool place. In the morning spoon the clotted cream off the surface of the milk. If you can’t get creamy enough milk, try adding pure cream to the milk. Artery-clogging goodness. The only place I’ve had clotted cream is on airliners crossing the Atlantic. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/3 "2001-05-26T07:37:47Z")
Mainly produced in Devon and Cornwall. Very high fat content- manufactured as above. It is thicker than butter when spread, and has a distinctive taste. It is excellent for making sauces because of its high fat content and consequent stability. Available locally in just about every shop round here. People vacationing in Cornwall take it home with them. There are even mail order services that will ship it nationwide and overseas in insulated packaging! ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/4 "2001-05-26T07:49:00Z")
Mmmmmmmmm, clotted cream and jelly on scones… I miss Devon ☹ — G. Raven ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/5 "2001-05-26T12:18:54Z")
So would this place it somewhere between Sour Cream and Cream Cheese? ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/6 "2001-05-26T12:42:22Z")
More like cream cheese. Creamy, sweet cream cheese. — G. Raven ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/7 "2001-05-26T12:45:38Z")
Oh, but it has the consistancy of sour cream. Just doesn’t taste much like it at all. — G. Raven ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/8 "2001-05-26T13:19:03Z")
I’m with Al Zheimers. I never even heard of it until flying over the Atlantic. Man, was it delicious. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/9 "2001-05-26T13:53:29Z")
We aren’t supposed to drink milk thats been out for half a day, how can they get away with putting it out for two days? ---
**Author:** ![MrDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/22d042/32.png) [@MrDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDeath)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/10 "2001-05-26T15:23:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Morrison’s Lament \* > \*\*Mmmmmmmmm, clotted cream and jelly on scones… > > I miss Devon :(\*\* Damn you damn you damn you. When foot-and-mouth hit the airwaves, I hit our local cheese shop and bought out their clotted cream supply. Now it’s _all gone_, and no more is in the offing ☹ . . . now all I can think about is cloudy afternoons at Rose Cottage in Croyde, North Devon, heading down to the shop for clotted cream and strawberry jam while my mum whipped up her fifth batch of scones that week. Damn you again! There is a _big_ difference between Cornish clotted cream (kinda runny) and Devon clotted cream (mmmmmmmmm, pure butterfat . . .). The kind we could get here was Devon clotted cream, even though it was made in Somerset; still pretty darned good. **lawoot** : Nothing at all like either, in flavour. Cornish clotted cream is sour cream-ish in texture; the Devon variety is like a very hard cream cheese. But the flavour is more like cream than cream cheese. **handy** : You don’t leave it ‘out’ out, you leave it in a pan in your fridge. But I’ve never had any luck with making it myself; it always winds up too Cornish. I’ll stick with the stuff I can buy, once I can buy it again. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/11 "2001-05-26T16:16:45Z")
Clotted cream is all that is right and good with the world packaged into a jar. I’ve always thought it tasted closer to unsalted butter (a good creamery style unsalted butter). To answer the OP’s questions: Clotted cream is not whipped at all. The gentle, slow heating of the milk causes the cream to thicken and clot (I know, it’s not a good sounding word, but there it is). The milk used is fresh, unpasturized milk, full of cream (not exactly what you’d pick up in your average US market). Clotted cream is not sweetened. It’s usually served with sweet things, though, such as scones and jam (yum, yum, **yum**!) ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/12 "2001-05-26T20:11:06Z")
You’m made me all 'omesick now with your talk of clotted cream. By the way, in a proper cream tea (jam and cream on scones or tuffs), the cream goes on top of the jam. There is dissent, but I am thoroughly confident that there is oe true right way on this. ---
**Author:** ![MrDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/22d042/32.png) [@MrDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDeath)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2001, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/13 "2001-05-26T20:32:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tansu \* > **By the way, in a proper cream tea (jam and cream on scones or tuffs), the cream goes on top of the jam.** **Tansu** , will you marry me? Woops, scratch that, got married IRL last month. Damn. I’d even’ve married you if you’re from South Devon. ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/14 "2001-05-27T06:38:23Z")
Hey! South Devon rules, go Torquay United! Ehm, or something 😃 — G. Raven p.s. I’d kill for some scones and clotted cream right now, there seems to be a curious lack of both on the streetmarkets of Beijing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/15 "2001-05-27T06:46:33Z")
Hmmmmmm…why is the result different than butter? Aren’t you just concentrating the butterfat? Or is this more like a luscious hybrid between heavy cream and butter? ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/16 "2001-05-27T11:55:20Z")
Clotted cream is just that - thicker than heavy cream, but not butter. It doesn’t go to butter because it isn’t churned. Oh, and I am from South Devon! ---
**Author:** ![Carina42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Carina42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carina42)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2001, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brit-dopers-splain-clotted-cream/66528/17 "2001-05-27T11:55:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lemur866 \* > \*\*Or is this more like a luscious hybrid between heavy cream and butter? \*\* Yes! It has a slightly lumpy consistency, hence the word “clotted.” (?) I remember having dollops of it on apple crumble, too. Yummmmm! I lived in Devon for a while as a young 'un too. Got expelled from Teignmouth Grammar School. 😃