Clotted Cream - Stories for my grandchildren

Yesterday morning was delightfully cool and I added Breakfast on the Patio to my regular routine of Coffee on the Patio. Breakfast consisted of a very nice cranberry scone, liberally covered in clotted cream.

If the term "clotted cream" is new to you, you might recognize it as "heavy cream," or "Devonshire Cream." It is a product of  southwest England - Devonshire and Cornwall both claim to be the original source - and it is a sinfully rich (64% fat), very bad for you (twice the calories of an equivalent serving of a cheeseburger) topping. No wonder it tastes so good!

We first became acquainted with clotted cream on a British Airways flight from London to the US, returning from a summer visit to Prague in July of 1996. Rob and Jana were with us on that trip and we spent a couple of days in London and the surrounding countryside on the return portion of the visit. Unfortunately, all of public transportation in London staged a one-day strike the day after we arrived, so we had to improvise (and walk a lot) but it was a fun couple of days.

We took one of the famous old-fashioned-looking London black cabs  - fresh off the work stoppage - from the hotel to the Gatwick Rail Terminal in Victoria Station and at the British Airways counter in Gatwick, found to our delight that we were going to be bumped up to Business Class. But there was a problem. The clerk indicated that only Barb and I were going to get the upgrade. I asked if the upgrade could be extended to Rob and Jana as well. The clerk peered over the counter at Rob, dressed in neat jean shorts, and said, "Only if he can change out of those cut-downs." We had our bags with us; Rob changed in a restroom, and we all got into Business Class together. I was relieved, because the truth of the matter is, I was going to accept the upgrade even if Rob and Jana could not be accommodated. Sorry kids, but that's just the way it was.

This was our first experience with Business Class, and if you fly much you know that it makes all the difference in the world in a long flight. Plus, we soon learned that British Airways Business Class is equivalent to First Class on many other airlines. It. Was. Divine. And at some point in that delightful trip, we were served snacks of mini-scones with little tubs of clotted cream.

You can buy clotted cream in tiny little jars at places like Central Market. It is expensive, and you had best use it up in about 3 days because it has a very short shelf life after opening. And like Business Class, it is delightful.