Clouted Creame

This recipe for clouted cream, now often called 'clotted cream,' comes from a 17th-century English manuscript attributed to a member of the Cromwell family—an era marked by agricultural refinement and the rise of sophisticated country house kitchens. Clotted cream was a luxurious staple in English dairies, especially in the southwest, and would have been enjoyed atop scones, fruit, or as an indulgent dessert on its own. The process preserved rich cream for longer, making it useful before refrigeration. The manuscript's date ('1600s') places it at a time when recipes were oral traditions being codified, but before the formality of printed cookbooks. The reference to the 'Dary' spotlights the important role of dedicated dairy rooms in estate houses.

The original method called for wide, shallow pans—often tin or earthenware—to encourage a thick layer of cream to rise. The pans would sit over a gentle fire, placed on a trivet, rack, or tripod, permitting controlled gentle heating. Dairies were kept cool and clean to aid dairy processes and prevent contamination. Cream was skimmed using a broad ladle or the cook’s well-washed hand, and careful attention was paid to avoid any dust or ash, reflecting concerns for purity and quality even then.