Devonshire Cream Chai
Based on a Recipe from Tim Flaherty, Southern Cross Tea Rooms Tea originated in India, and was exported to China centuries before Christ where it was called Char-i-khitai. It was not until the seventeenth century that the British occupied India and ‘discovered’ tea. They established enormous plantations mainly in Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Assam and Ceylon. They brought it to Britain, in the magnificent sailing ships, the tea clippers which sailed from Calcutta, and before long it became the national beverage. Afternoon tea with scones and jam became a daily ritual with the memsahibs of the Raj.
In the beautiful county of Devon, scones India was making cream as early as 1,500BC at a time when Devonians were worshiping Celtic gods. Long before the humble cuppa char became an institution in Devon, it seems the monks of Devons’ Tavistock Abbey enjoyed their home made bread, strawberry jam and cream in the 11th century. Clotted cream, thick, yellow and ridiculously high in fat and chlorestorol, was developed in Devon by heating milk and allowing to thicken and clot.
Quite when Devon Cream Tea became a local trademark is not clear. But today it is one of the county’s main stay cottage industries. Every tourist visiting Devon and most locals delight in taking it. Mandatory is warm halved scones, liberally spread, not with butter but with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Delicious though the traditional Devon Cream Tea is, for a change we can give it a subtle and delicious Indian twist.
Serves: 4
Topping Ingredients:
250g grated Collier’s Powerful Welsh Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons Cobra beer
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 chopped chilli
Coriander (to garnish)
1) Preheat the grill to highest heat.
2) Line an oven tray with kitchen foil to catch any cheesy drips (to aid your clean up).
3) Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl.
4) Toast the muffins on both sides.
5) Spread a generous layer of the topping ingredients on each muffin half.
6) Place on the oven tray and grill until brown and bubbling.
7) Top with coriander to garnish.
8) Enjoy piping hot with ice cold Cobra beer.
