🫖 Clotted cream
Also known as: Devonshire cream, Cornish clotted cream, scalded cream
English heated cream with a crust: by law at least 55% fat; Cornish clotted cream is heated at 70–80 °C for at least an hour.
Clotted cream is a thick English cream with a crust, made by slowly heating rich cream. Under British law, only “clotted” cream containing at least 55% milk fat may bear the name. Clotted cream is not poured but spread with a knife, like butter; it has a nutty flavour and a golden colour.
The best-known kind is “Cornish Clotted Cream” from Cornwall in south-west England: a protected designation of origin since 1998 and, after the UK left the EU, also in the British register. It is made only from Cornish milk, which averages 4.33% fat against 4.1% in the rest of England and Wales; carotene from the pastures gives it a golden tint. The product appears in 17th-century literature, while stories about the Phoenicians are just legend.
How it is made: milk is warmed to separate cream with at least 55% fat. The cream is heated to 70–80 °C, without boiling, for at least an hour, and a thick crust forms on top. Then it is cooled to 5 °C or below, and the crust sets. According to the British CoFID tables, 100 g of clotted cream contains 63.5 g fat and 586 kcal. For comparison, double cream legally has from 48% fat, and whipping cream from 35%.
Clotted cream or double cream? Both are British creams, but the law sets them apart: double cream has from 48% fat, whipping cream from 35%, and clotted cream at least 55%. Double cream and whipping cream are poured or whipped; clotted cream is neither. It is heated slowly for at least an hour until a golden crust forms, then cooled, and it is spread with a knife like butter. It is also not butter: it is cream that has been heated, not churned, with a nutty taste.
In the UK the name “clotted cream” on a pot guarantees at least 55% fat. “Cornish Clotted Cream” with the protected designation of origin (PDO) logo also means Cornish milk and the traditional heating. Outside Britain, look in the chilled section near other creams and butter, or in the British-food aisle of a large supermarket or a delicatessen, and read the label for the fat content.
Why it matters to you. In the UK the name “clotted cream” alone guarantees at least 55% fat, and “Cornish Clotted Cream” with the protected-name logo also guarantees Cornish milk and heating by the rules. Classically it is served at tea with scones and jam, often strawberry — this is a cream tea. Because it is so rich, clotted cream is a treat for small portions, not an everyday food.
Facts
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Region | Cornwall (name “Cornish Clotted Cream”) 1 |
| Registered | 1998 — EU protected designation of origin; since 2021 — UK register 3 |
| Temperature | Heated at 70–80 °C, cooled to ≤ 5 °C 1 |
| Duration | At least 1 h of heating 1 |
| Main use | With tea, scones and jam 1 |
How it connects to milk
🫖 Clotted cream → made from → 🥛 Cow's milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Made from
- 🥛 Cow's milk, 🥛 Cream
- How it is made
- 🔄 Slow baking
- Used in
- 🥐 Pastry
- Where it is stored or sold
- 🧊 Refrigerator
- What it contains
- 🧪 Milk fat
- Where it is traditional
- 🌍 Western Europe
- Which peoples make it
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Product type
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products
- Part of
- 🧈 Cream and butter
- Similar and different
- 🥛 Öröm
- Part of which tradition?
- Afternoon tea
Frequently asked questions
What does the name “clotted cream” guarantee in the UK?
Under British law, cream sold as clotted cream must contain at least 55% milk fat.
What is a cream tea?
An English tea: tea with scones, jam (often strawberry) and clotted cream.
Is clotted cream just whipped cream?
No. It is not whipped but heated for a long time until a crust forms.
How does the crust on clotted cream form?
Cream is heated at 70–80 °C for at least an hour without boiling, then cooled to 5 °C or below, and the crust sets on top.
Where does Cornish Clotted Cream come from?
From Cornwall: a protected designation of origin since 1998, made only from Cornish milk.
What to read next
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
- 🥛 Cow's milk — The most widespread milk in the world: versatile, inexpensive and the basis of almost all dairy products.
- 🧑🤝🧑 British — People of Great Britain; their protected West Country Cheddar matures for at least 9 months, and tea is drunk with milk.
- 🔄 Slow baking — Ukrainian slow-baking (pryazhennia): milk is held at 95–99 °C for 3–5 hours until creamy and baked-tasting; baked milk is soured into ryazhanka.
- 🏺 Traditional dairy products — Products made for centuries to folk recipes: fermenting, cheesemaking, slow baking, drying. Tied to regions and peoples.
Similar
🫕 Smen · 🧈 Niter kibbeh · 🥣 Rømme · 🧈 Ghee · 🥛 Öröm · 🧈 Butter
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.
Sources
- Defra. Product specification «Cornish Clotted Cream» (PDO)
- The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/1499), Schedule 8 — Cream
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 2088/98 (Cornish Clotted Cream, PDO)
- GOV.UK — Protected food name: Cornish Clotted Cream (PDO)
- Public Health England. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID) 2021