There’s almost nothing as quintessentially British as scones with jam and cream, but one English charity has found itself in a spot of bother after posting a scandalous picture of the tea-time treat online.
Lanhydrock National Trust shared a photo of a pretty plate scones last week promoting its Mother’s Day afternoon tea for the weekend, but it was soon inundated with comments from outraged Brits who couldn’t believe they’d used a photo where the cream was put on the scone before the jam.
Local Cornish residents voiced their shock at the idea of cream before jam, but they were soon met with jeering responses from their neighbours in Devon, who traditionally put the jam on last.
The ensuing argument was thoroughly British and rather hilarious, with hundreds of people staking their pride with #JamFirst and #CreamFirst hashtags. Eventually, things got so heated the Lanhydrock National Trust released a joking statement apologising for their oversight.
“We’d like to sincerely apologise for any offence caused by a recent scone-shot shown on the page,” they joked. “The member of staff responsible has been reprimanded and marched back over the Tamar. We’d like to reassure our Cornish community that our catering team would never make such a heinous mistake and that our jam and cream are usually served in little pots so the order of their application is not subject to such appalling error. Rest assured, your mothers are safe here.”
They later added to their statement to clarify which side of the debate they were on.
“We’d like to let you know our team will be sporting #jamfirst badges tomorrow in support of a proper cream tea. And there’s no truth in the rumour that we’re renaming the property Jamhydrock… #cornwall #lanhydrocknt #sconegate.”
Even after the apology, the debate continued to rage on, hitting a nerve with hordes of people across the UK. Many pointed out that the difference in opinion may be due to where the residents lived. Many argued it was a Cornish custom to put the jam on first, whereas the custom in Devon was cream first.
“It has to be #creamfirst on a scone, those #JamFirst Cornish lunatics can stay on their side of the Tamar and not spread their heathen ways into Devon,” one user wrote.
Another pointed out that butter usually goes onto bread before jam and thought the same rules applied to scones, “Look. How many people put jam before butter on their toast? So why do it on a scone? IT IS FLAWED LOGIC. #creamfirst.”
Another user said the order depended on the type of cream, while hilariously throwing shade at Devon cream. “In Cornwall it’s #jamfirst. We are proud of our clotted cream and dollop it on as a crowning glory. In Devon it’s cream first as they are embarrassed by their cream & have to hide it,” they wrote.
Others decided they had better test out both methods to choose their winner. For one man, the choice was obvious: “And following a rigorous, arduous taste test I can confirm that the verdict is…. always #jamfirst.”
https://twitter.com/swixley/status/973330094776348672