Hi Mum! I know she reads my blog, because she tells me. And she alludes to it in her phone calls and correspondence, without actually mentioning that she read it. I don't know if she is too modest to leave a comment, or prefers writing with pen rather than keyboard but, in her latest letter, she had some fabulous insights into my recent posting on the great scone debate. She writes very well and thoughtfully, my mother, and although she wouldn't commit her opinions in full to something so public, I shall do it for her.
"I have been thinking about scones and the pleasure I get from them. Cutting through the slightly crumbly biscuit, putting a dollop of the gorgeous gooey cream on each half, spreading it over the surface and topping it off with a dollop of strawberry, blackcurrant, or at present, blueberry jam from Oregon.
"I then survey these jewels nestling on my plate before picking one up and biting firmly into it. Oh what joy! What rapture. The coarse biscuit, the thick cream and the slippery jam combining to produce a state of almost ecstacy. The are always so morish and leave you with an anticipation of a future delight.
"As a child on our annual holidays in Devon with my Godmother, they were always an eagerly-anticipated treat on our return from a fun-packed day on the beach and the long walk back. We always had the cream first followed by jam and that is what I continue to do to this day."
So there you have it; mother's always right. Isn't she?
I used to think that whether you spread your scones with jam then cream or cream then jam was a North/South divide thing. According to this Guardian article, it's actually a Cornwall/Devon thing. It turns out, I am a Devon devotee - it's got to be cream then jam for me.
A Kiwi friend pointed out that in New Zealand it is always jam then cream, because they don't have clotted cream (even double cream is hard to find), and if you just use whipped single cream, the jam will slide off if you put that on top.
This is why Devonshire teas should be trademarked. It's a divisive issue, but one of great importnace!
