A cream tea is one of the easiest Cornish traditions to enjoy in St Ives. You do not need a special occasion: find a café, order tea and scones, and prepare to take a surprisingly serious position on the order of jam and cream.
The Cornish way
In Cornwall, the traditional approach is to split the scone, spread the jam first and add a generous spoonful of clotted cream on top.
Across the border in Devon, the order is famously reversed. This friendly rivalry has probably generated far more discussion than the actual difficulty of eating a scone deserves.
What is clotted cream?
Clotted cream is thick, rich and much denser than ordinary whipped cream. Combined with jam and a fresh scone, it turns a simple afternoon snack into something substantial.
Make time for it
I would not squeeze a cream tea into ten minutes between attractions. Part of the pleasure is sitting down after walking around town or spending time on the coast.
On a wet Cornish afternoon, a warm café and a pot of tea can suddenly feel like the best attraction in St Ives.
Where should you have one?
You will find cafés and tearooms around the town, so there is no need to chase a single famous address. Look for somewhere that feels inviting and check what is freshly available that day.
My preference would be to have cream tea in the afternoon after a long walk. By then, concerns about whether the amount of clotted cream is excessive tend to disappear.
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