Clotted cream (Cornish: dehen molys, sometimes called scalded, clouted, Devonshire or Cornish cream) is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full-cream cow’s milk using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms “clots” or “clouts”, hence the name.[1] It forms an essential part of a cream tea.

Clotted cream has been described as having a “nutty, cooked milk” flavour, and a “rich sweet flavour” with a texture that is grainy, sometimes with oily globules on the crusted surface. It is a thick cream, with a very high fat content (a minimum of 55 percent, but an average of 64 percent). For comparison, the fat content of single cream is only 18 percent. According to the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency, clotted cream provides 586 kilocalories (2,450 kJ) per 100 grams (3.5 oz).

Although its origin is uncertain, the cream’s production is commonly associated with dairy farms in southwest England and in particular the counties of Cornwall and Devon. The current largest commercial producer in the United Kingdom is Rodda’s at Scorrier, Redruth, Cornwall, which can produce up to 25 tons of clotted cream a day.[2] In 1998 the term Cornish clotted cream became a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) by European Union directive, as long as the milk is produced in Cornwall and the minimum fat content is 55%.

Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream official site