Clotted cream spread thickly on a scone with jam is a traditional treat originating from the south-west of England. Enjoyed by holiday makers in Devon and Cornwall, and replicated throughout the tea rooms of the UK, we're here to help you find the perfect one for your cream tea or any occasion really.
Whether you slather it on before or after the jam, we've found the most decadent options available from Asda, Aldi, M&S and many more. Make sure to read on for the 10 best clotted creams in the UK!
Quick List - Top Clotted Creams
ALDI
Good Value Clotted Cream That Boasts a Quality Food Award
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The quantity of clotted cream you can buy varies from just over 100 g to well over 200 g, so you'll need to consider how much you need. If you opt for a smaller tub, you may need to buy multiple to ensure that your afternoon tea treat is decadent enough. Sometimes going for a larger tub in the first place makes more sense, especially if you are serving two or more people.
We think that 200 g of clotted cream is a decent amount for an indulgent afternoon tea for two. After all, as fully loaded scones are an occasional treat they should be made the most of! Any spare clotted cream can be used as a butter alternative on bread or served with fresh berries.
For another traditional English tea-time treat, check out our ranking of the 10 best crumpets!
Devon and Cornwall, in the south-west of England, are the traditional clotted cream producing locations. Cows in these regions (and also those on the Channel Islands) enjoy the mildest weather in the UK. This means they can spend the most time outside on grass, which produces the best quality milk with the highest butterfat levels.
Vegan clotted cream is difficult to find, but you can whip plant-based or dairy-free double cream to make your own decadent treat, for yourself or for friends with specific dietary requirements. Just make sure to spoon it onto vegan scones with a generous helping of jam!
Here are the best strawberry jams, to put under or on top of your clotted cream.
Fresh clotted cream, when unopened, generally lasts about 6 days in the fridge from when purchased to the use-by date. Of course as soon as you open it, you need to follow the packaging guidance, which is usually to consume within 3 days, or by the use-by date if that's sooner.
Fresh clotted cream has a superior flavour and often comes with a gorgeous crackling crust on top. However storing it before use takes up room in your fridge, which if catering for a party can be a significant amount of space. Therefore, it relies on you purchasing the right amount of tubs with suitable use-by dates.
Jars of clotted cream can last for 6 months at room temperature, if unopened. This makes them a practical choice for those catering for a crowd when fridge space is limited. If you like to plan ahead (and don't want to risk the last-minute online-supermarket substitution lottery) then stocking up on preserved clotted cream in jars months in advance is a good idea.
After a plant-based topping for your afternoon tea? We've found the 10 best vegan creams!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rodda's Classic Cornish Clotted Cream | ![]() | Classic Cornish Clotted Cream With the Famous Golden Crust | |
2 | Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream | ![]() | Traditional Cornish Clotted Cream from Trewithen Dairy | |
3 | ALDI Specially Selected Traditional Cornish Clotted Cream | ![]() | Good Value Clotted Cream That Boasts a Quality Food Award | |
4 | Langage Farm Devon Clotted Cream | ![]() | Frozen Devonshire Clotted Cream From Channel Island Cows | |
5 | ASDA Extra Special Traditional Cornish Clotted Cream | ![]() | Cornish-Sourced Clotted Cream With a Rich and Buttery Flavour | |
6 | M&S Collection Cornish Clotted Cream | ![]() | Quality Clotted Cream From M&S | |
7 | Devon Cream Company English Devon Clotted Cream | ![]() | Devonshire Cream in a Glass Jar With 6 Month Sealed Shelf-Life | |
8 | Cottage Delight Classic Clotted Cream | ![]() | A Long-Lasting Clotted Cream With a Smooth Texture and Taste | |
9 | Devon Cream Company Clotted Cream With Brandy | ![]() | Unique Devonshire Clotted Cream Flavoured With Brandy | |
10 | Elmlea Plant Alternative to Dairy Double Cream | ![]() | A Vegan Alternative to Clotted Cream |
The golden crust is a sign of quality, rather like the creamy layer on gold topped milk, where the best bits rise to the surface. It also acts as a protective seal, keeping the silky clotted cream fresh and ready to be enjoyed on anything from scones, to fruit and hot rice pudding.
Trewithen Dairy produce their Cornish clotted cream to a traditional recipe, meaning that it has 'Protected Designation of Origin' status. It's crafted from 100% milk, from cows which graze just to the south of Bodmin Moor and the Jamaica Inn, made famous by Daphne Du Maurier's storytelling.
This brand is relatively new compared to other clotted creams, but it doesn't disappoint! We recommend the 200 g tub, as there have been issues with the larger 400 g tub spoiling quickly once opened. As it's so tasty, perhaps it's a good thing for our waistlines!
This specially selected Cornish clotted cream is one of those ALDI hidden gems, which tastes far superior than the price point suggests. So if you see it available, make sure to buy it before it sells out!
It's made from 100 % Cornish milk, which travels a maximum of 30 miles to the creamery. As this is Cornish clotted cream, by rights you should serve it on a scone with jam applied first and the cream on top, for a truly Cornish cream tea.
Langage Farm in the Plymouth area of Devon, has been producing its locally-respected clotted cream for over thirty years. The clotted cream is produced on their dairy farm from 100 % channel island Jersey and Guernsey cows' milk.
To make a Devon (or Devonian) cream tea, slice your scone in half and spread the cut sides with cream first, before adding a generous spoonful of jam on top. This clotted cream is sold in a generous 227 g pack, which is ingeniously posted out frozen and arrives partially defrosted, so there's no worries to be had about it spoiling in transit!
Asda source their Extra Special Clotted Cream from Cornwall, just like the leading brand. Its rich and buttery flavour is popular with reviewers, but the consistency isn't quite as reliable. So if you like your clotted cream spreadable, remove it from the fridge ten minutes or so before you intend to use it.
At 140 g, the tub size is a little too small for a really indulgent scone treat for more than one person. That said, the price makes it very affordable to buy two pots. After all, nobody wants a scone with only a stingy allowance of cream!
This M&S Collection Cornish Clotted Cream is traditionally made using rich milk from Cornish herds. As part of the premium 'Collection' range, its high quality makes it a special choice to slather onto scones, either under or over a layer of jam.
The delicious yellow crust features on the top of this clotted cream, as it's made by Rodda's for M&S. Although it has rave reviews, it's further down the ranking as the pot is just far too small for a really indulgent scone- especially if it's needed for two.
This Devonshire clotted cream is sold in a glass jar with a metal lid, for a sealed shelf life of 6 months. It has a creamy and smooth consistency, meaning that it lacks a crackling crust. However, it is ideal for those who want clotted cream on hand, ready to use for impromptu cream teas.
This is an ambient product, so it can be stored at room temperature. Once opened, it needs to be refrigerated and used up swiftly, so make sure to treat it just as carefully as you would fresh clotted cream.
This is a less traditional option, not made with West Country milk. Nevertheless, it's indulgently rich and creamy, created in small batches to ensure quality, resulting in a smooth texture and taste.
This is an ideal choice for those who don't have much fridge space, or who aren't planning to use it up immediately. Whilst still sealed, the jar will last at room temperature for months, but once the jar is opened, it must be refrigerated and used up promptly, just like fresh clotted cream.
This unusual clotted cream is flavoured with brandy, giving it an alcoholic kick. It's a little less suited to scones, but the brandy does make it the perfect accompaniment to Christmas Pudding - or maybe you could start a new trend for boozy afternoon teas!
This ambient product (storable for months at room temperature) is great for those who want to stock up in advance for Christmas as brandy butter is often only available as a fresh, time-sensitive product. Once opened, do remember to keep it in the fridge and use it up within a few days, which shouldn't be too hard!
Whilst not actually clotted cream, this 100% Plant Based Double cream alternative from Elmlea does whip up beautifully. Once it becomes thick and spreadable, slather it onto vegan scones.
This whippable cream substitute would make a delicious Cornish-style vegan cream tea if spread on top of the jam, or a delicious Devonshire-style vegan cream tea if the jam is spooned on top of the cream. Whichever way you choose, we are sure you or your vegan guests will be impressed!
How you prepare your sliced-open, plain or fruit scone determines whether you are eating a 'Cornish' cream tea (jam first with cream on top) or a 'Devonshire' cream tea (cream first with the jam uppermost). You may like to match your cream tea to the area you are eating it in or to the origin of the cream you are using - or just do whichever you personally prefer to prepare and eat!
Written and researched by Lucy Smith
No. 1: Rodda's|Classic Cornish Clotted Cream
No. 2: Trewithen Dairy |Cornish Clotted Cream
No. 3: ALDI|Specially Selected Traditional Cornish Clotted Cream
No. 4: Langage Farm|Devon Clotted Cream
No. 5: ASDA |Extra Special Traditional Cornish Clotted Cream
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