Crumpets, Clotted Cream and Mother’s Day
japra | May 09, 2008 | Comments 18
This is not a very posh specimen, I am afraid. But still , it is pretty tasty.
My mother fell in love with these little wheels of goodness while she was visiting last spring. She ate them every day, twice a day for two whole weeks. Why, you ask? Well, for one reason, she said it didn’t do wacky things to her blood sugar (she’s diabetic). And two, I think it was a good enough excuse to eat this other British delicacy…
… Clotted Cream.
Oh, what’s in a name? Don’t knock it before you try it. It is smooth, creamy lusciousness. The golden “crust” on top isn’t really very crusty at all–just a bit more solid than the rest of the cream.
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From the Cornwall area, the cream is made from milk that has been heated and then left to sit. It has the consistency of whipped cream, but please don’t let that fool you into thinking that’s what it is. It’s really more like a very light unsalted butter. FYI, if you order a “cream tea” in England, you will get tea, scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam.
People here eat clotted cream on fruit and pies. They even make it into ice cream. No one in my immediate family eats the stuff (except for me, but only occasionally). In fact, we only buy this when my mother is here. And since we’re in a new town, I thought I’d better try out the clotted cream before I offer it to my mother. Aren’t I a thoughtful and dutiful daughter? ;-)
So, here’s how I ate my crumpet today.
I am really enjoying Frank Cooper’s Raspberry Oxford Conserve, by the way.
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And although it was yummy this way, I really prefer my crumpets with Irish butter and honey with a little strong English cheddar on the side. Speaking of butter, here’s how it is sold in Europe:
It makes for interesting baking when I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 a stick of butter. I’ve been doing a lot of eyeballing.
And finally, Happy American Mother’s Day to all of you moms, but especially to my own wonderful mother who I will see on TUESDAY and also to my other amazing mother, Mama DJ. XOXO
Have a great weekend!
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
Thanks for the food lesson. I’ve always been curious about crumpets and clotted cream and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to you, to!!!!
Laurie–You’re welcome! It wasn’t as entertaining as the Marmite post, but it was a whole lot tastier, thank goodness ;-) And thank you for the Mother’s Day wishes!
I’m in LOVE with crumpets. When I lived in England, I ate them everyday with melted English chedder on top. YUM!!
No sticks of butter? For shame!!!
(8 tablespoons = 1 stick)
:)
The clotted cream looks yummy, I always wondered what it was. I envisioned a cottage cheese sort of thing. Interesting!
Alyson–It really is good that way too. Mmmm!
Brave Sir Robin–The whole metric thing gets tricky when cooking. Good think I brought my measuring things. I also have a digital cooking scale for the first time in my life, and I like it! A conversion chart has come in pretty handy as well.
Well, as an Englishman, I’ve never had clotted cream on a crumpet, but I can see the potential. I usually have mine with cheese or soaked in butter, and definately not Kerrygold. Mass produced, blended and cheap I’m sorry to say. There are far nicer butters available as I’m sure you will discover. Try and find a locally produced butter if possible. Farmers markets are a good source obviously. Failing that, get a good Normandy butter from your local supermarket. It makes all the difference to a beautifully toasted crumpet. Crisp on the outside and fluffy within. Nice blog by the way.
Nice blog. NICE? I’d say it was SUPER! BTW, my friend, we had a lovely Volunteer Appreciation Dinner here at the Museum tonight… Wish you had been here to join in the festivities! I bought some crumpets the other day, but I’m not sure how authentic they are. But we are going to have TEA, soon, at that local place famous for it. I shall think of you with every morsel dotted with clotted. Mimsy
Jack–Thanks for the tip about the butter. I probably shouldn’t say this, but Kerry Gold is so much better than any of the American brands. I can only imagine what the local butter will taste like! Thanks for stopping in to comment–hope you chime in again!
Mimsy–If it’s the place I’m thinking of, mmmmmmmm! Enjoy, my dear. BTW, I’m still on the email list and saw the one come through about the dinner. I am glad it was so nice. I also saw the one come through from Nancy about the queen bee and I desperately wanted to see that!! AND where did you find the crumpets? My mother will want to know, especially if they are good. Or even decent. I’m telling you, she is addicted! I brought her six packs at Christmas.
I love clotted cream. We used to run it/plop it down the back of a spoon so it’d sit on the top of our coffee. :) And Happy Mother’s Day back at you!
Barrie–Oh MY! I will need to try that. It sounds incredibly rich :-)
My kids can go through a packet of crumpets lickety-split. They like to put Nutella on their crumpets; I am a purist, and prefer just a dab of butter.
As for clotted cream, I have so many funny memories! There is a wonderful tea shop in Marlborough called “The Polly Tea Rooms” and I always try to take American guests there. You get scones instead of crumpets, of course, but the clotted cream (and jam of your choice) is scrumptious.
I didn’t know it was American Mother’s Day!! Thanks for the reminder!
Bee–Nutella! I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that before. Roxi will love that :-)
I found them at Kroger!
Mimsy
Mimsy–Were the crumpets frozen? And more importantly, were they good??
Oh Ate the quarter-kilo block of butter is too funny! We have those back home too, so I use the grams-to-sticks version of the conversion table hahaha!
Aniway–Hahaha! I just made some wheat cloverleaf rolls this evening and did a bit of butter eyeballing ;-) I probably should measure more carefully…
I’ve fallen in love with crumpets since moving here.
Hi from a fellow expat in Hertfordshire!
American Mum–You know, contrary to popular opinion, there is a lot of very good food here in England. I think the produce is so fresh and tasty. And the chocolate… don’t get me started.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!