When I was teaching as part of the English syllabus, students had to debate and discuss. I tried to choose topics which they would find interesting and engaging and have some opinion on. I tried all the usual topics, capital punishment, abortion, student grants, religion… I tried local issues, what should happen to the Tropicana, should Weston have a skate-park, should they build the Severn barrage… I tried school-related issues, length of lessons, subjects on the time-table, start and finish times of school…
The students generally weren’t very interested, or would have such entrenched views that there never could be an actual discussion, or some kids would dominate and others would say nothing.
However there was one topic which never failed to engage the class and there would be stormy and interesting discussion, passionate speeches, table thumping and raised voices. On occasions students even marched out and into other classrooms to get support for their views, or into the head of centre’s office to demand she should cast the deciding vote.
So what was this topic which never failed? Cream teas… jam on first or cream on first? For those of you who have never experienced the delights of a cream tea let me explain. A cream tea consists of a freshly made scone (which I think maybe called a buttermilk biscuit in the USA) split open and spread with strawberry jam and clotted cream (thick, thick cream which has been ‘scalded’ to produce thick clots with a golden crust)
Now I am firmly of the opinion that it should be jam on first and then pile on the cream, as you can see even in my own family there is division, my husband and son put cream on first… I won’t go into all the arguments for and against but I will just say that traditionally in Cornwall jam goes on first, in Devon cream goes on first.
Read more about it here:
http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/food/cornish_cream_tea.htm
Post script… don’t get me started on how to pronounce scone – ‘scone’ or ‘sconn’, another whole lively debate ensues over this one!
Lois Elsden 
Now that’s an English lesson I would like to have sat in on
LikeLike
It was one of those lessons which was repeated year after year – and every one a winner! No conclusion in the jam v cream debate though!
LikeLike
I always hated debating (the whole thing about having to be able to argue a point even if you didn’t believe it seemed so stupid) but I can see now that we were just debating about the wrong thing! Jam first!
LikeLike
Hurrah! Jam first!
LikeLike
Jam first here in Dorset too Lois. At least for me. I can hardly bear to say it, but the rest of my family … don’t … like … cream … though they do love my scones!
LikeLike
What? They don’t like… cream? What heresy for Dorset folk!
LikeLike
I am sure either way, the scones are yummy! After looking at the pictures, somehow my popcorn does not taste quite as good…
LikeLike
But popcorn is wholesome and scrummy too in quite a different way!
LikeLike
Definitely jam first in Adelaide! the jam slides off the cream in the southern hemisphere. Not sure I have heard that topic debated around here. We have strong links to debating in this family.
LikeLike
Go Adelaide!!! Maybe it’s a west of England thing that creates such passion about cream and jam and scones!
LikeLike
And yes, why not. You have really cornered the market! Wickedly delicious! I hope to return for another taste before TOO long.
LikeLike
I do have English roots (as well as Irish, German, French…)… but I must say that I’ve never had biscuits with cream OR jam. I prefer my biscuits with gravy…such as Chicken and Biscuits for dinner! I do love scones… but not the dry, crumbly, biscuit kind-I have a recipe that makes them so moist that I’ve never really used any topping for it. I do enjoy putting dried fruit in the recipe (or fresh fruit). Having said all that, if I were to try a biscuit for breakfast, as you have posted about, I would probably spread the cream first… as I suppose it would be harder to spread cream on jelly than it would on a biscuit. I would probably also put the cream on BOTH halves, put the jam on, and then put the halves together and eat it like a sandwich! lol.
LikeLike
Lol indeed! If the scones (or biscuits) are properly risen you would have to have a HUGE mouth to eat them as a sandwich!
LikeLike
Then I suppose I might slice them three times and get 2 sandwiches out of them! lol
LikeLike
Tee-hee!
LikeLike