If you grew up watching Disney movies like we did, you probably remember the “UNbirthday” party scene where Alice crashes the Madhatter’s tea party. This is our gold standard for tea time fun. We consider all forms of tea time feasting equally fun. Although used interchangeably, “afternoon tea” and “cream tea” are different variations of the same tea time meal. This blog post will addresses the differences.
A cream tea usually consists of scones that are served with jam and clotted cream along with tea as the main beverage. Clotted cream is basically a cream with a high percentage of fat and a faintly sweet taste. Clotted cream brings out the tanginess of raspberry jam perfectly when served with scones. There has been a great deal of debate about whether the jam or the cream should be first spread on the scone. We think it should be down to personal choice as it has no impact on flavour. You will also find scones, jam and clotted cream served as part of a traditional afternoon tea spread as well.
An afternoon tea is usually served around 4 pm. The selection served tends to be lighter fare like cake, scones, dainty finger sandwiches and tarts. The tarts can be sweet or savoury. We personally prefer to have both! Some of the more traditional sandwich choices are coronation chicken or cucumber. An afternoon tea is more of a supplementary snack rather than a full blown meal and meant to tide you over till dinner. Given that it isn’t considered a main meal, it is common for it to be served in the living room or garden. We like to style our afternoon teas with our favourite bone china, cake stands and matching flowers.
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