Clotted cream (, sometimes called scalded, clouted, Devonshire or Cornish cream) is a thick cream made by heating full-cream cow's milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms "clots" or "clouts", hence the name. Clotted cream is an essential ingredient for cream tea.

Although its origin is uncertain, the cream is associated with dairy farms in South West England and in particular the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The largest commercial producer in the United Kingdom is Rodda's at Scorrier, near Redruth, Cornwall, which can produce up to 25 tons of clotted cream a day.

Description

Clotted cream has been described as having a "nutty, cooked milk" flavour, and a "rich sweet flavour" with a texture that is grainy, sometimes with oily globules on the crusted surface.

According to the UK Food Standards Agency, clotted cream provides per .

History

Originally made by farmers to reduce the amount of waste from their milk, clotted cream has become so deep-rooted in the culture of southwest Britain that it is embedded as part of the region's tourist attractions. While there is no doubt of its strong and long association with Cornwall and Devon, it is not clear how ancient its origins are.

thumb|right|A Roman-era Cornish [[fogou or souterrain]]

The Oxford Companion to Food follows traditional folklore by suggesting it may have been introduced to Cornwall by Phoenician traders in search of tin. It is similar to kaymak (or kajmak), a Near Eastern delicacy that is made throughout the Middle East, southeast Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Turkey. A similar clotted cream known as () is also made in Mongolia.

Contemporary ancient food experts, noting Strabo's commentaries on Britain, have proposed that the early Britons would have probably clotted their cream to preserve its freshness.

More recently, regional archaeologists have associated the stone fogou (dial. 'fuggy-hole'), or souterrains, found across Atlantic Britain, France and Ireland as a possible form of "cold store" for dairy production of milk, cream, and cheese in particular. Similar functions are ascribed to the linhay (or 'linney') stone-built form, often used as a dairy in later medieval longhouses in the same regions.

thumb|right| A 'Cow Man' weighs milk at [[Dartington, 1942.]]

It has long been disputed whether clotted cream originated in Devon or Cornwall, There is evidence that the monks of Tavistock Abbey were making clotted cream in the early 14th century. After their abbey had been ransacked by Vikings in AD 997, the monks rebuilt it with the help of Ordulf, Earl of Devon. In a BBC report, local historians claimed local workers were drafted in to help with the repairs, and the monks rewarded them with bread, clotted cream, and strawberry preserves. The 1658 cookery book The Compleat Cook had a recipe for "clouted cream".

thumb|right| A tin that was used in the 1970s to send clotted cream through the post from Devon

In the 19th century it was regarded as better nourishment than "raw" cream because that cream was liable to go sour and be difficult to digest, causing illness. An article from 1853 calculates that creating clotted cream will produce 25 per cent more cream than regular methods. In Devon it was so common that in the mid-19th century it was used in the formative processes of butter, instead of churning cream or milk. The butter made in this way had a longer lifespan and was free from any negative flavours added by the churning.

It has long been the practice for local residents in southwest England, or those on holiday, to send small tins or tubs of clotted cream by post to friends and relations in other parts of the British Isles.

Protected Designation of Origin

In 1993 an application was made for the name Cornish clotted cream to have a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) in the European Union for cream produced by the traditional recipe in Cornwall. This was accepted in 1998. Cornish clotted cream must be made from milk produced in Cornwall and have a minimum butterfat content of 55 per cent. The unique, slightly yellow Cornish clotted cream colour is due to the high carotene levels in the grass. The clots that formed on the top were then skimmed off with a long-handled cream-skimmer, known in Devon as a reamer or raimer. The "scald cream method" is similar, but the milk layer is removed and a layer of cream, which has been mechanically separated to a minimum fat level is used. This cream is then heated in a similar manner, but at a lower temperature and after a set amount of time it is then chilled and packaged. As the temperatures are lower than used in standard pasteurisation, much care is needed in ensuring high standards of hygiene.

The largest manufacturer in the United Kingdom is Rodda's, a family-owned business based in Scorrier, Cornwall. Founded in 1890, In 2010 the managing director said that they might produce as little as a day in January, but up to a day as Christmas approached. In the early 1980s Rodda's signed deals with international airlines to serve small tubs of clotted cream with the in-flight desserts. However, in 2011 Robert Wiseman sold the Definitely Devon Brand to Rodda's, who moved the production of Definitely Devon to Cornwall, which caused some controversy as the name was not changed, prompting an investigation by Trading Standards.

Throughout southwest England, clotted cream manufacture is a cottage industry, with many farms and dairies producing cream for sale in local outlets. Clotted cream is also produced in Somerset, Dorset, Herefordshire, Pembrokeshire, and the Isle of Wight.

When authentic clotted cream is not available, there are ways to create a substitute product, such as by mixing mascarpone with whipping cream, a little sugar, and vanilla extract.

Uses

Cream tea

thumb|A modern cream tea

Clotted cream is an essential part of a cream tea, a favourite with tourists particularly in Cornwall and Devon. It is served on scones—or the more traditional "splits"—with strawberry jam, along with a pot of tea. Traditionally, there are differences in the way it is eaten in each county: in Devon the cream is traditionally spread first on the scone, with the jam dolloped on top. In Cornwall the jam is spread first with a dollop of cream. Cream teas, known as Devonshire teas, spread to southern Australia as early immigrants from Cornwall and Devon took their traditional recipes with them. In 2010 Langage Farm in Devon started a campaign for "Devon cream tea" to have protected designation of origin similar to "Cornish clotted cream". One variation on a cream tea is called "Thunder and Lightning" which consists of a round of bread topped with clotted cream and golden syrup, honey or treacle.

Confectionery

Clotted cream can be used as an accompaniment to hot or cold desserts. Clotted cream, especially clotted cream from Devon, where it is less yellow due to lower carotene levels in the grass, is regularly used in baking. It is used throughout southwest England in the production of ice cream and fudge.

Savoury dishes

Clotted cream is used in some savoury dishes, and can be incorporated into mashed potato, risotto or scrambled eggs.

Historical

Cabbage cream (which does not contain cabbage despite the name) was a delicacy in the mid-17th century: layers of clotted cream were interspersed with sugar and rosewater, creating a cabbage-like effect when served. It was a common accompaniment to junket, a milk-based dessert that went out of fashion in the mid-20th century.

Literature and folklore

Clotted cream was mentioned in The Shepheardes Calendar, a poem by Edmund Spenser in 1579:

<blockquote><poem>Ne would she scorn the simple shepherd swain,

For she would call him often heam,

And give him curds and clouted cream. Another myth, from Dartmoor, tells of a princess who wanted to marry an elven prince, but according to tradition had to bathe in pure cream first. A witch who wanted the prince for her daughter kept souring the cream. Eventually, the prince offered the princess clotted cream that the witch was unable to sour.

Clotted cream is also mentioned as one of the staple foods of the hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books.

See also

  • Butter
  • List of dairy products
  • Junket (dessert)
  • Clabber (food)
  • Malai
  • Kaymak
  • Mascarpone
  • List of spreads

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Rodda's Origin

es:Nata (cuajada)