Cornish Clotted Cream Recipe

Cornish Recipes > Cornish Clotted Cream

Another sought after Cornish speciality is clotted cream. Whilst researching this recipe I think I can understand how it was started. One must go back to the time when there was no refrigeration or pasteurisation. Milk was scalded to stop it from going sour and in that process the cream rests on the surface. This would have also sterilised the milk therefore killing any harmful bacteria present. I myself had never drunk fresh milk until it was introduced at our school in the 1930' s. We had a third of a pint in little bottles with straws-a great novelty but I hated the taste of raw milk! All my life I had only drunk scalded milk which has much of the cream skimmed off and to this day. I love the nutty taste!

Cornish Clotted Cream Recipe:

To make this you need full cream jersey or a similar milk. The quantity can vary to suit the size basin one uses, with a minimum of 1 litre or 2 pints to make it worthwhile. Pour milk into a basin and leave in a cool place (not freezer) for at least 8 hours until the cream has risen to the top. Then put the basin carefully over a saucepan of boiling water - not letting any water get into the milk. A pudding basin will rest on the rim of the right sized saucepan. Let the water simmer on a slow boil until the cream begins to show a raised ring around the edge and the surface begins to bubble. When sufficiently cooked in about 3/4 - 1 hour take off heat - lift basin carefully and place in a cool place. Skim cream gently off the surface into a dish and enjoy it!

Gans oll an colon vy,

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Comment Script

There are a number of web sites with info on how to make your own clotted cream. It's very easy to make from whipping cream. It can be pasteurized using either the old fashioned low temp (140F) or more usual high temp (165F for 15 sec) method - called the HTST method. You can't use cream pasteurized with the ultra high temp method (UHT - 275F for 2 sec)

Put the whipping cream in a shallow heat proof ceramic baking pan to a depth of about 1 1/2" to 2 1/2". Put in a 180F oven for about 10-12 hrs. The cream will separate and the heavier portion will rise to the top. It may have little butter globules, or look to have a bit of a skin on top. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a few hours. Skim the thick clotted cream from the top. What remains can be used as coffee cream. Here's a link that describes the process http://www.joepastry.com/2012/making-clotted-cream/

#23 - Dave - 11/24/2012 - 13:09

I have developed an intolerance to cows milk and was wondering if I could make clotted cream from goats milk.
Being a cornish maid clotted cream is one of the many things I miss since our move to Spain.

#22 - Lyn - 08/14/2012 - 12:49

Re. comment #8, not using raw milk if you are pregnant--this is not true. Yes, know where the milk comes from--should be a dairy that specializes in raw milk, NOT from a dairy whose milk normally goes for processing. The latter is not safe as they assume it's going to be processed and are not as careful, whilst the raw milk dairy will keep things cleaner. Also good to visit the dairy--if they are not ashamed to let you see the cows and the facility, then you can be assured it's clean. (We milked out own cow when I was growing up, but at the dairy where I now buy raw milk, there's a window between the farm store and the cows--you can seee your own food! ) So--don't believe the mega-agri-business and dictator government trying to tell you raw milk is horrible!

#21 - Rhonda - 06/27/2012 - 21:25

OMG im a Cornish maid living in New Zealand. I havent been home in 4 years and now that i have perfected the art of scone making i need my clotted cream. Over here the cream teas are served with whipped cream pffft and no one has heard of clotted cream. I have lots of dairy farming friends so am gonna ask them for the milk and get going. One question, whats the crust on rodders clotted cream? My fav bit :)

#20 - Lisa - 05/19/2011 - 20:23

These recipes(clotted cream and cream cheese)are only in this place.I am an italian lady.

#19 - Antonella - 02/15/2011 - 08:53

If you like to make cheese, you can make parmesan cheese with the milk which has cream taken off of it. Romano cheese is the same, hard aged cheese, with the fat in cheese (after "Devonshire clotted cream") I recommend "Margaret Morris'" Cheesemaking book - Glengarry Cheesemaking, for a wonderful recipe of semi-hard, non-fat cheeses. Good luck!

#18 - Annie Carlson - 01/01/2011 - 23:49

In the USA you will need to use non-homogonized milk. Which is of course really hard to find. I found mine at Trader Joe's they call it Cream on the Top milk. I am having my first try today - hope it works!

#17 - Sue - 12/21/2010 - 11:17

We always made clotted cream with any milk that was left over or if we'd got too much.I'm not sure what the solids in your milk were Peter unless it had gone sour. The cream usually comes up to the top.

#16 - Connie - 08/27/2010 - 10:27

Hi Connie,
I have just attemted your recipe, I used 2litres of jersey full cteam milk I puchased from Tesco after I had left it to go cold only a small amount was gathered off the top, but a large amount of solids were left after I drained The liquid off is this correct, look forward to your reply.

Peter

#15 - peter chettle - 08/21/2010 - 09:31

The most important thing is to get milk that has not been homogenized. It can be pasteurized, but not ultrapasteurized.

#14 - Gabrielle - 08/02/2010 - 23:49

Hi Connie im abit inquisitive about making clotted cream and the process and i have yet to make it as soon as i can find unpasturised milk. what i would like to know is what can the left over milk be used for and would it be classed, as semi skimmed or skimmed milk?

#13 - jcollins - 02/08/2010 - 05:28

Roddas clotted cream is sold by Tesco's .This is my favourite ! But I will give making it a go now ..thanks

#12 - stephanie - 11/30/2009 - 06:46

Just came across your web site. I am another Cornishwomen
living in Ireland and usually I visit 'home' every year and bring back
loads of Roddas clotted cream. Unfortunately I didnt get to my beloved Kernow this year, and am desparate for my 'fix'. Where can
I purchase Cornish Clotted Cream here in the South East.
Thankyou.

#11 - Jeanette - 11/19/2009 - 03:41

Do you know anyone who posts clotted cream to Dublin for Christmas, please?
My usual source has stopped doing this.

#10 - Ann Rigby-Jones - 11/20/2008 - 09:36

Hi Connie, I'm a Devonian studying abroad and wanted to give my colleagues a proper cream tea. Came accross your recipe. First cream tea party now held with lashings of proper clotted cream. I used full fat milk and added some extra single cream to experiment as I couldn't find unpast milk. Worked a treat. Thank you!

#9 - rebekah cannon - 10/18/2008 - 10:11

If you are pregnant you need to check on the carton that the clotted cream is made from pasteurised milk and not raw or unpasteurised milk.

#8 - Connie - 08/18/2008 - 12:42

Clotted cream is generally made from pasteurised milk nowadays. it is the homogenised milk which presents a problem because as you say the cream has been evenly distributed in the milk. I believe that some supermarkets like Waitrose sell something called "Breakfast Milk" which has a creamy Top to it.

#7 - Connie - 08/18/2008 - 12:08

Is clotted cream pasterized or un pasterized. I love clotted cream and scones, but am pregnant and you can not have unpasturized food. Have been having whipped cream, but not the same. Please tell me its safe to eat clotted cream

#6 - Sarah - 08/16/2008 - 13:47

dear connie im delighted to have come across your page today. i live in ireland and cannot get clotted cream which i love as my mum lives in devon and i indulge when i go over for visits. im heading off now to try and make some wish me luck!

#5 - mary - 06/26/2008 - 09:43

I managed to get a half a gallon of unpasteurised milk in the market here in Russia and made some of your clotted cream. It was hardly productive (less than 2/3 cup of the cream)but absolutely smack on delicious in terms of taste and consistency with home baked splits and strawberry jam. To me, Connie, you are the Delia Smith of Cornish cooking

#4 - Cooperman - 02/05/2008 - 22:19

so what type of milk would you recommend that i use? Or could I use heavy cream as well for this?? I have never made clotted cream before (I fell in love with it this Christmas during my trip to York where I had scones with Yorkshire clotted cream at Bettys)

Thanks!!
Tintin

#3 - Tintin - 01/12/2008 - 10:27

Cori--do you know of any cheese factories in your area? The ones around my home will sell fresh, non-pasturized cream straight from the cooler. It's not publicized, because they're not supposed to sell unpasturized foodstuffs. But if you know to ask, they usually don't give you too much of a problem.

#2 - Ericka - 08/29/2007 - 14:53

It is very difficult to get good results with most of the lower fat milk available these days.Of course, when I was young, the milk we used to use wasn't pasteurized. I have usually been able to get some clotted cream from modern milk using Channel Island (a high fat milk). It is essential that the milk is left to stand in as shallow a bowl as possible for at least 8 hours.I believe that some farms make clotted cream from cream so it may be worth your while trying the recipe using the 30 per cent fat cream. Let me know how you get on.

#1 - Connie - 07/31/2007 - 14:28

I love Cornish Cream Tea - have just come back from a longer stay in Cornwall - fell in love with the county years ago! However, in my part of the world, no clotted cream is available, so I've tried to make my own - unfortunately we only get pasturized milk and pasturized 30%-fat whipping cream here. The pasturization process (or something else they do to it - but it was NO UHT long-last stuff) seems to make the milk more homogeneous and the cream does not rise to the surface any more - it is just cooked, but stays where it is! So this was a bit of a disappointment after I was so glad to have found the recipe here. Do you have any experience with this problem? Is it at all possible to make the clotted cream with pasturized cream or milk? I would love to know! Thanks!
Cori

#0 - Cori - 07/28/2007 - 11:41


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