The Sad State of Afternoon Tea in Boston

The magnificence of clotted cream teas in my home county of Devon - indulged from an early age - has given me a discerning palate for all things afternoon tea. Unfortunately, I have never found anywhere outside of England that comes close to making that fatteningly rich clotted cream. Can't stop trying though and with that in mind, I set out to find a decent spot in Boston to satisfy cream tea cravings. Hours of research later, it was a toss-up between Boston Harbor Hotel or The Taj. Bloggers raved about the elegant and opulent atmosphere at The Taj and the sea views at the Boston Harbor. It didn't seem as if there was any place in Boston that served clotted cream but I guess I was thinking that there would still be some approximation of scone, jam and cream plus other delectable bites. I chose The Taj as it meant we could indulge in some shopping at Newbury Street in the same afternoon. The setting was certainly refined; the service polished and the tea china suitably chintzy and floral. After a few photo ops, we settled down to choose our teas. I loved my choice which was a Shanghai rose black tea and Rach settled for a floral jasmine green tea. As our eyes are frequently larger than our stomachs, we both opted for the full Taj Royal set which gave us some savory bites and tea sandwiches before the sweet stuff. It certainly looked delicate and delightful but with my first bite of a smoked salmon sandwich, I knew that things were not as they seemed. The bread was slightly hard and stale! We were hungry so the small tea sandwiches went quickly as we eagerly awaited the next tier. Unfortunately, again - although it looked beautiful, the pastries were not as good as we had hoped for. The lemon curd for the scones looked and tasted as if it came out of a jar and the small ramekin of paltry whipped cream was a very pale comparison of my beloved Devonshire clotted cream. It's a sad day for pastry chefs everywhere when the chocolate-dipped strawberry won the show due to the fact it was a very sweet and fat strawberry. It was a sad day too for my wallet as I realized I had spent more on this afternoon tea than a regular dinner for two at a good restaurant. Oh Devon! I miss you and your beautiful clotted cream...we have a date in front of Cockington Court where I will smear a very thin layer of strawberry jam and big spoonfuls of rich clotted cream on a fluffy warm scone....hope to eat you soon...

Afternoon Tea at The Orangery, London

One of the best things about living in Devon is that you can have a clotted cream tea anytime. And the clotted cream in Devon is the absolute best! I really did not appreciate this when I lived there....having said that, perhaps that is a good thing. Otherwise, I would have had a cream tea every week and my thighs would be even bigger than they are now. I've since found that clotted cream does not travel well. That is why, you never find it in countries outside of US. I bought a jar once in Hong Kong but my stomach felt terrible afterwards...it spoils very easily. In fact, clotted cream is so rich, it would be labelled a "butter" in US! So when in London, afternoon tea was an absolute given. After some research, I settled on The Orangery in Kensington Palace. The venue did not disappoint - beautiful garden outside and a large stately tearoom with high ceilings and a mini orange tree on every table. A great place to take the parents. The tea sandwiches were good and the tea - a rooibos blend with orange peel was excellent. Although, the clotted cream was tasty, it was a little too thin by Devon standards. Good but not fabulous by Devon standards. The moral of the story here: when in Devon, enjoy your cream tea!