Tea as it is done by the British is a peculiarly British phenomenon. And the cream tea is perhaps the finest expression of the British obsession with tea. The cream tea is a version of afternoon tea - possibly the most important cultural contribution that Britain has made to the nations of the world. Anyone who has not grown up in Britain can struggle to understand the importance of tea to the nation. And not just tea, but all the things that go with it. Those of us who have been born and brought up here understand it all instinctively, those who have not are to be treated with a degree of understanding and sympathy for they do not. The cream tea, as we know it today, consists of five key ingredients. These are: tea, scones, butter, jam and clotted cream. This book tells you everything you need to know about the cream tea. It tells you its history. It gives you recipes to follow. There is an etiquette guide that explains how to serve the perfect cream tea - and which steers you through the minefield of conundrum such as whether to put the cream or the jam on to your scone first. The cream tea is, perhaps, the finest way to spend an afternoon known to humanity. With 22 illustrations