Britain’s   love   affair   with   tea   began   when   Portuguese   Catherine   de   Braganza   married   Charles   II   in   1662,   bringing the   custom   of   drinking   tea   at   court   with   her   and   making   tea   popular   worldwide.   In   1706,   Thomas   Twining   opened London’s   first   tearoom   and   before   long,   a   flurry   of   tearooms   appeared   across   the   city,   much   more   inviting   for   a lady than the male-oriented coffee houses. Tiring   of   the   long   wait   between   lunch   and   dinner,   we   have   the   Duchess   of   Bedford   to   thank   for   the   invention   of afternoon   tea.   What   started   out   as   simply   ordering   tea   and   treats   to   her   room   when   peckish,   soon   evolved   into   a gowns-and-all   social   affair,   inviting   friends   to   join   her   in   her   country   house,   although   there   is   evidence   to   suggest that   the   tradition   of   eating   bread   with   cream   and   jam   already   existed   at   Tavistock   Abbey   (later   part   of   the Bedford estate) in Devon as early as the 11 th  century. By   the   middle   of   the   19 th    century,   afternoon   tea   was   an   everyday   occurrence;   a   spread   of   sandwiches,   cakes, scones, cream and jam – the first hint of cream teas as we know them today. The   cream   tea   tradition   flourished   in   the   West   country   following   the   tourism   boom   in   the   1850s,   brought   on   by the   opening   of   the   railway.   Visitors   bustled   south   looking   to   relax   and   indulge,   and   hotels,   tearooms,   farmhouses and   cafés   were   happy   to   oblige   –   offering   delicious   afternoon   cream   teas,   made   with   the   finest   local   ingredients. The jam was invariably strawberry and the cream was always clotted! But   is   it   cream   then   jam,   or   jam   then   cream?   It’s   the   difference   between   the   Cornish   and   the   Devonshire   cream tea and the cause of much controversy, and Debrett’s etiquette guide says: “It   is   traditional   in   Cornwall   to   spread   jam   on   a   scone   before   cream,   whereas   in   Devon   cream   is traditionally    put    on    first.    County    differences    aside,    it    is    generally    considered    that    the    most practical and neatest method is to spread the cream first, before the jam.”

CREAM TEA  (S3x32) Ian Dall  Sheffield Diamond (3 rd  Sheaf)  1- 4 1s   turn   2H   1¼   times,   moving   down   &   pass   RSh   to   face   1 st    corners   (2s step up 3-4)   5-16 2s+1s+3s Dance to Corners & Set, 1s ½ turn RH on bar 16 17-20 1M+3s   (at   top)   &   1L+2s   dance   LH   across,   1s   end   RSh   to   RSh   in   middle facing opposite sides 21-24 1M   followed   by   3L+3M   dance   down   Ladies'   side,   across   at   3 rd    place   & up   to   2 nd    place   own   side   while   1L+2M+2L   dance   similarly   up   Men's side, across & down to 2 nd  place (RSh Snake)  (2)1(3) 25-28 2s+1s+3s circle 6H ½ way to left 29-32 3s & 2s turn 2H while 1s turn 2H 1½ times to end 3 1 2