"Thunder and Lightening" ... Cornish cream

Dear Mr Postman .. a positive tale of fun filled days ...

Going to Cornwall for our holidays was a real treat .. a long journey from Surrey, now the outskirts of London - in those days in the country. We always went - Granny lived there! In fact Great Granny on my father's side lived there & died when she was 100 in 1953. West Penwith encompassed Lands End, Penzance & St Michael's Mount and St Ives Bay - perhaps you've heard of some of the names?

I looked forward to tea .. scones & cream ... we, as children, loved the thick, crusty cream topping with the thick yellow cream underneath .. taken in great dollops onto half scones (we'd get double then!) and as children topped off with a good spoon of golden syrup - which oozed its way off the scone towards the plate .. we needed to whisk it up to our mouths and suck the rich cream and lightening: sticky sugary treacle (as we called it) into our mouths as fast as possible - so none was wasted! Delicious .....

I remember many a tea at my uncle's .. whereby I scoffed loads of them .. - we deserved our treats .. we'd been to the beach .. a long walk down & an even longer walk back up from high above St Ives, then games of tennis & rumble tumble with my uncle - into the long summer days before returning to our bed and breakfast base along the road.

"Thunder" used to be made by the small holders everyday .. Cornish Clotted Cream or clouted cream as it was originally known, is in fact scalded cream. In the late 1800s .. no separators were used and the thick yellow cream, sometimes tasted of furze (gorse as it's more commonly known) where the cows had pastured and was delivered, with the milk in large pitchers, brought to the door - into which pint and quart tins were dipped for the household consumption.

It's now available everywhere .. but at one time we had to wait for someone to bring some up for us, or bring some back if we visited .. Cornish cream awaits a tasting from you ... - a picnic on the granite cliffs, overlooking the gentle crash of waves below, the gentle hue and scent of yellow gorse around you, the sun shining down or setting across the ocean .. evocative scenes for a thermos of tea and thunder and lightening to be consumed - gluttony at its best - don't you agree?

Sorry! Mr Postman - did that whet your appetite for lunch .. it's so delicious! ... and a holiday?? when are you going to be able to get away ? - oh .. you don't go .. that's kind - as you're always delivering our positive letters .. thank you so much ...