Earl of Devon waves the flag for Devon cream teas

On Friday 24th June, Powderham Castle is inviting everyone to join in the National Cream Tea Day celebrations at the Castle.

Wholesome Devon cream teas will be served in abundance at the Courtenay Café, situated in the courtyard of Powderham Castle, with lashings of full-fat Langage Farm clotted cream and locally produced jam and tea.

The Castle will be open as usual and following a delicious cream tea, visitors can join a guided tour of the Castle and walk through the Castle grounds to burn off any extra calories.

Powderham has recently been included in Hudson’s ‘Top 10 Picnic Spots’ and visitors are welcome to take a cream tea picnic in the grounds of the Castle, which includes the beautiful American Woodland Garden and Belvedere tower, offering far-reaching views of the estuary.

Powderham Castle has been serving cream teas to the visiting public since it opened in the 1950s and whilst the origins of the cream tea have been debated for years, historic records show that it originated in Tavistock with the Earl of Devon.

Charlie Courtenay, current Earl of Devon, commented: "It’s great to be celebrating National Cream Tea Day at Powderham Castle and acknowledging the origins of the dish with the monks at Tavistock Abbey and Ordulf, my early predecessor as Earl of Devon. The Devon Cream Tea served at the Courtenay Café is one of the best in Devon and with the historical connections, it’s the perfect place to enjoy this local dish’.

It was during the Tavistock Abbey’s restoration in 997AD, a task undertaken by Ordulf, Earl of Devon, that the Benedictine monks fed bread, clotted cream and strawberry preserves as a thank you to local workers helping with the restoration. The find has led to a Brussels petition to give ‘Devon cream tea’ a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) which would mean anything labelled as a ‘Devon Cream Tea’ would have to be ‘produced, processed or prepared in Devon’. 

National Cream Tea Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate everything that is loved about the Devon Cream Tea. Powderham Castle’s celebrations will be taking place on Friday 24th June from 11.00am – 4.30pm. Castle tours take place at regular intervals throughout the day, the last one commencing at 2.30pm.

For further information, please visit www.powderham.co.uk