With National Cream Tea Day next Friday 29 June, Nick Mosley takes a look behind this quintessentially English tradition.

Whilst tea as a drink was known in England long before, having made its way from south west China via merchants trading on the Spice Route, the fashion for taking tea was introduced to this country by Catherine de Braganza of Portugal when she married King Charles II in 1662.

Before long, Thomas Twining had opened a tearoom in London which was seen as a somewhat more appropriate place for ladies to socialise, as opposed to the more masculine world of the coffee shop.

Afternoon Tea was reportedly introduced by the Duchess of Bedford who grew her habit of mid-afternoon sandwiches and tea from a private affair to a de rigueur social occasion for upper class women of leisure.

Far from being a poor man’s afternoon tea, the traditional cream tea has a proud provenance of its own. The growth of the railways in the 19th century saw previously hard to reach parts of the country become newly accessible to the ever expanding middle classes, creating a tourism boom in areas of outstanding beauty including the West Country.

Visitors headed to the coast of Devon and Cornwall to enjoy the spectacular scenery, and indulge their whims in newly opened hotels, cafés and tea houses. It’s at this time that the two counties made cream tea their own, with scones crammed with fresh clotted cream and strawberry jam produced on local farms.

The difference between a Devonian cream tea scone, and a Cornish one, is the order in which the cream and jam is applied. Devon prefers cream first, followed by jam; and Cornwall vice versa.

Former head chef at Buckingham Palace, Darren McGrady, says The Queen prefers the Cornish way for her garden parties. This is also the preferred method in society etiquette guide Debrett’s.

Full afternoon tea can obviously be found at many of Brighton’s grand hotels, however for a more relaxing – and manageable – cream tea try Metrodeco on Upper St James’s Street in Brighton where you can also choose from a vast range of their own hand-blended loose leaf teas. For a more bucolic setting then Café Elvira at Borde Hill Garden near Haywards Heath, where you can enjoy chef Vera Ashpool’s freshly baked homemade scones in the comfort of their shady kitchen garden.

And remember – never use whipped cream, only clotted. It’s utterly improper.