🥣 Creamer

A creamer is a small jug with a spout for milk or cream, served with tea or coffee. By the mid-18th century the British had got used to adding milk to their tea instead of drinking it weak, as was traditional in China, and the jug became an essential part of the tea service. ¹

Where it came from. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate were becoming ever more popular, and they called for special vessels to prepare and serve them. ² The creamer took its place in the service beside the teapot and the sugar bowl.

The porcelain creamer. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a hard-paste porcelain cream jug from the New Hall factory in Staffordshire, made in 1790–1797: urn-shaped on a pedestal foot, painted with bunches of flowers, from a tea service. ³ Another, from Bristol, about 1780, belonged to a coffee set for one with a tray, coffee pot, sugar bowl and cup. ⁴

The cow creamer. Creamers in the shape of a cow are especially famous. Milk is poured in through an opening in the back, the lid is topped with a fly, the tail serves as a handle and the milk pours from the cow's mouth. ² All of them follow the same basic form but differ in how the hair on the body and head is shown. ¹

From stoneware to silver. Cow creamers first appeared in the Netherlands in the early 18th century and soon became fashionable among the English elite. At first they were made in stoneware by potteries in Staffordshire, South Wales, Yorkshire, Tyneside and Scotland, and silver ones appeared in the 1750s. ²

John Schuppe. The London silversmith, probably of Dutch origin, entered his mark in 1753 and specialised in these creamers. ² Most London silver cow creamers bear his mark and date from 1753–1773. ¹ The body, head, legs and tail were made separately and then joined. ²

Fame. Large numbers of these creamers survive, which shows how popular they were. They even made it into 20th-century literature: Bertie Wooster, the hero of P. G. Wodehouse, found cow creamers quite disgusting. ¹ They are still made today. ²

Why it matters to you. A creamer belongs on the table only for a short time. According to the US Department of Agriculture, between 4 and 60 °C bacteria can double in as little as 20 minutes, so milk or cream should not stay out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 °C. ⁵ Pour into the creamer only as much as you will use at the table.