National Cream Tea Day

Sip sip hooray! The last Friday of June is National Cream Tea Day ! A day where we join the Cream Tea Society in encouraging as many people as possible to dig out your best crockery, relax and enjoy a good traditional British cream tea.

How the cream tea came to be

Weary of the long wait between lunch and dinner, we have the7th Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russel to give thanks to for the invention of afternoon tea in 1840. What began with requesting tea and treats to her chamber when peckish soon evolved into a full on fancy social affair, as friends and aristocracy began to join her in her country house. By the mid 19th century, afternoon tea was a daily happening; a selection of sandwiches, cakes, scones, cream and jam – the first suggestion of the cream tea that we have become accustomed to.

In recent years much attention and controversy has been drawn to the question jam before cream or cream before jam? The answer to that varies depending on where you are in the UK. In Devon the clotted cream precedes the jam, meanwhile in Cornwall the cream follows the jam! Here, at It’s Tea in sunny Dorset we believe it doesn’t matter whether you prefer cream or jam first, it just isn’t worth it without a decent cup of tea to accompany your tasty spread! Of course we have hundreds of teas to choose from, and we are always happy to help you find the right one for you, so either pop in or browse the full selection on our website!

In the meantime here are a few suggestions

Darjeeling Happy Valley