Afternoon tea, or teatime, is about serving tea with savoury pastries and sweet snacks. Although not everybody in England sits down to afternoon tea, or even drinks tea, teatime is still a popular concept. Tina Jesson shows you how to prepare the tea, and also explains a little more about what tea time is all about. The teapot is covered in a tea cosy while Tina prepares an English cream tea, which is scones with conserves (like jam but runnier) and clotted cream.

Popular in Devon and Cornwall, England’s Southwest, the traditional English cream tea is close to the locals’ hearts and tourists also like it. In Devon, it is usual to put the cream on first and then the jam, while in Cornwall they do it the other way round. The scones are not usually buttered before the jam and cream are added, although you can have some butter on the tea table in case anybody does want some.

This is not the healthiest snack ever, but it is certainly one of the best! Sometimes it is nice to allow yourself the occasional indulgence and treat yourself to something yummy. A traditional English cream tea can work out expensive if you can only buy imported clotted cream, so if you like you can use double cream or whipped heavy cream instead. Scones can be made plain or with raisins. There is also a cheese and mustard variety but those are usually served with butter since they are savoury not sweet. Continue reading →