--- title: Debate Rages in England About How to Properly Eat A Scone description: A photograph of a scone with cream spread before jam has prompted outrage with people calling it “shocking” and “disgusting” canonical: https://time.com/5195464/scone-jam-cream-debate/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-12T14:56:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T21:18:46.000Z og:title: Heinous Scone Jam Mistake Spreads Outrage in England og:description: Cream first or jam? There are actually #jamfirst pins og:url: https://time.com/5195464/scone-jam-cream-debate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf2af42b6d37235d/69892a7d22fb8561ece2507e/gettyimages-106898086.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 8660 og:image:height: 4871 og:image:alt: Scone With Jam And Clotted Cream og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Heinous Scone Jam Mistake Spreads Outrage in England twitter:description: Cream first or jam? There are actually #jamfirst pins twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf2af42b6d37235d/69892a7d22fb8561ece2507e/gettyimages-106898086.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Heinous Mistake With Jam on a Scone Spreads Outrage in England > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:18 PM UTCPublished: Mar 12, 2018 2:56 PM UTC  Scone with jam and clotted cream - often known as an English cream tea. Scone with jam and clotted cream - often known as an English cream tea. Jill Tindall—Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:18 PM UTCPublished: Mar 12, 2018 2:56 PM UTC Do you first apply a layer of cream to your scone or do you start with a foundation of jam for the cream to rest on? The argument over that bit of afternoon tea etiquette has raged on for years between scone-eating residents of Devon and Cornwall. Now, an historical home in Cornwall has been forced to apologize to its neighbors for daring to perhaps suggest that cream be put on a scone first. British newspaper [_The Telegraph_ reports](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/11/national-trust-apologises-cornish-appearing-endorse-putting/) that the [Lanhydrock House and Garden](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock) in Cornwall caused a stir when they ran an advertisement for a Mother’s Day tea accompanied by a photograph showing that cream had been spread on a scone before the jam. This, of course, goes against Cornish norms where cream goes on top of the jam in traditional Cornish cream tea. According to _The Telegraph,_ the photograph prompted outrage with people calling it “unacceptable”, “shocking” and “disgusting” and some Cornish people even threatened to cancel their memberships over the horrifying image of a mishandled scone. The Lanhydrock House responded by reprimanding the staff member responsible for the affront and making [#jamfirst pins](https://www.facebook.com/Lanhydrock/photos/a.250323084999871.69065.115137731851741/1838830156149148/?type=3) for the staff. Not everyone is team “jam first” though. > [](https://twitter.com/louiseminchin/status/973086006072217600) On Facebook [they noted](https://www.facebook.com/Lanhydrock/photos/a.194488823916631.48499.115137731851741/1837110896321074/?type=3): “We’d like to reassure our Cornish community that our catering team would never make such a heinous mistake and that our jam and cream are usually served in little pots so the order of their application is not subject to such appalling error. Rest assured, your mothers are safe here.” While this sounds a bit silly to American ears, keep in mind how everyone on the internet flipped out when the New York _Times_ (questionably) suggested [putting peas in guacamole](http://fortune.com/2015/07/01/guacamole-peas-water-environment/) or how fiercely people will argue about [strawberry pizza](http://time.com/5002534/strawberry-pizza/) or hold a [vigil for a Taco Bell](http://time.com/5113535/taco-bell-montgomery-fake-vigil/) that burned down or riot over [McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce](http://time.com/4965957/mcdonalds-rick-and-morty-szechuan-sauce/) shortage or share their deep feelings about the existence of [Salted Caramel Pepsi](http://time.com/5022089/salted-caramel-pepsi-internet-reactions/). 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