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!

Cream Tea at English Meadows

New England does the Devonshire cream tea! Recently, we stayed at the English Meadows Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine. This small town is a coastal resort perhaps most famous as the location of the Bush's summer holiday home. The owner had spent some time in UK and therefore, was quite partial to the English habit of taking tea. He made his own lemon curd and although clotted cream was not an option, he made a good approximation of the Devonshire cream himself. Certainly not as rich or dense but it did at least have the flavour. The homemade scones were delicious and we ordered what turned out to be a great tea - Avalanche Rooibos which only seems to be available on the internet. Check out the heavily chintzy floral tea salon too - all the teaware was fine bone china.