'Ooh, a Devon Cream Tea!
How Yummy!' my niece squeeled with delight
As we sat in the tea shop in Croyde and gave our order
With barely concealed excitement
We've been away, for a long time, you see
And England's ex-patriots
Tend to dream about these things
When they're far from home
Until the longing for the much loved
And very much missed
'English things'
Brings us home
Like magnets to a fridge door
We settle into our chairs and look around
At the quintessential 'Englishness' of the tea shop
And we smile at each other
As we gaze around us
Like water thirsty travellers in the desert
Drinking in the sights and the sounds
Of once familiar surroundings
And THEN the Devon Cream Tea arrives!
Two scones for each of us
Crisp on the outside
Buttery soft on the inside
Spread with strawberry jam whose berries fall over each other
To be covered in thick, rich, succulent, Devon clotted cream
And we take the first bite.......
Heaven
The flavours and textures of the scone, the jam and the cream
All blend together and make a perfect experience
Firm, soft, sweet, creamy
That wonderful, wonderful, Devon Cream Tea
And we sip our English tea
And eat our scones and we smile
The familiar is NOT to be taken for granted
Because, when the familiar is no longer available......
Well, we came 6,000 miles for this Devon Cream Tea!
How far would you go?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
But what happens if my partner's on a diet?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, inspired by tea at a mill on the River Otter in Devon - may I experiment with this - if it's too long as a comment I won't be offended if you dont use!
Tea at the Mill
their age defines
past marriages
her knife is primly held
the point a surgeon's scalpel
brushing Devon jam and cream
on crumbling scone
a challenge which
she pincers with polished nails
inserting calories between
sharp arcs of lavish sheen
computer dating
blessed their new estate
he stuffs his food
deliberately
bewildered that the tourist
treat is not approved
and sees a last chance
slipping – he pays the bill
and leaves a generous tip
exchanging moments with
a waitress – stud in lip
excess baggage
plagues their honeymoon
she's dabbed at fingers
with tissues from a tidy bag
and leaves "to mend my face"
– he waits outside
ready to explore
the working mill
then walk beside the leat
splashing in puddles
like a child again –
she joins him at the car and
not wishing to object
slips off her new black shoes
and briefly dons
pink wellingtons
- Tony in Devon, 2010