Prince Charles reignited the age-old debate of how to serve cream tea - with jam or cream first - during a visit to Cornwall on Thursday. The Prince of Wales spotted a culinary faux pas during a visit to the Royal Cornwall Show, noticing a young boy eating a scone topped with cream first and then jam, which is how people in neighbouring Devon serve theirs. In Cornwall people traditionally spread jam first topped with cream. "Have you got that the right way round?" Charles quipped as he passed the boy.
Not only was Charles following Cornish tradition, but also royal tradition, as it was recently revealed that cream tea in Buckingham Palace is always served with jam first. Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for the Queen and Princess Diana, revealed what the royals do in March. Taking to Twitter to answer the contentious question, Darren wrote: "Jam first or clotted cream first? Jam first at Buckingham Palace garden parties!"
Prince Charles reignited the cream tea debate during a visit to Cornwall
Darren, author of The Royal Chef at Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining, worked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace for 11 years, so he knows a thing or two about royal eating habits. He also transferred to Kensington Palace where he cooked for Princess Diana and her young sons Prince William and Prince Harry for four years until her death.
STORY: Jam or cream first? This is what the royals do
Speaking previously to HELLO! about the late Princess, Darren said: "She wasn't strict at all. She let them be boys, young boys! There was always a battle between her and Nanny. Nanny would say, 'No, they're eating their dinner, they're having cabbage. And the Princess would say, 'No, if they're with me and they want loaded potato skins and fried chicken then they can have that. And if they don't eat it and they still want pudding, they can have that too!' She was much more relaxed than Nanny."
Cornish cream tea is traditionally served with jam first, then cream
Darren said of the young William and Harry: "They liked comfort food dishes. They loved banana flan, anything with banana really, banana ice cream. They loved things like mixed grills, burgers, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and cream chicken sauce... They were royal children but they still had children's palates."