To mark its 25th birthday, modern vintage brand Cath Kidston organized an official attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest cream tea party in the world. Hosted at the iconic Alexandra Palace in London on July 1st, 2018 by “the queen of baking herself” Mary Berry, this “very British knees-up” — in all its floral quirkiness — sounded exactly like my cup of tea.
I had to join the party!
The current title for world’s largest cream tea party had been previously achieved by the British Consulate General in Shanghai back in June 2016 to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday, when 735 guests attended.
We’d have to top that number today!
If you’re wondering what cream tea actually is, you’re not alone (and no, you don’t scoop whipped cream in your tea). The tea is actually your standard cuppa, although ‘English breakfast’ is definitely preferred. What makes it a true “cream tea” is that served alongside the tea, you get a scone with clotted cream and jam. All delicious and “very British”.
Traditional British cream tea
It was all bunting, balloons, and of course, plenty of flowers — the distinctive mark of Cath Kidston’s brand — as I and hundreds of other eager tea drinkers poured in through the grand palace doors. We were greeted, with complimentary refreshments, by a fairy, a gnome, a cowboy, and the Queen’s Guard — all in great spirits. My favorite display must have been the milk float in the centre, filled to the brim with tin milk jugs and fresh flowers in milk bottles (yay!).
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We were soon led into the grand hall, quite like stepping inside a giant dollhouse. There’s some kind of fairytale magic in hundreds of people showing up in their summer floral dresses, all ready for a tea party. Everything here exuded Cath Kidston’s signature playful style. And tea was served!
The tables were set with white china, floral runners, and real lavender pots. It was one big gregarious party, even including a Mexican wave that started with the Queen’s guard and soon swept up and down each long table.
The party's just beginning.
Our special and highly anticipated host Mary Berry soon took the stage and spoke in her classically slow, measured manner: “I know you must all want to ask me a question — which goes on first, the jam or the cream?”
I had no idea this was debatable, but apparently what goes on first is very region-specific. If you’re in Devon, you spread lashings of cream on your scone first, followed by jam on top, Mary Berry explained. If you’re in Cornwall, the jam goes on first, topped by the cream.
How do you do this?
“I have friends and holidays in both places,” Mary Berry said, “so I do half one way and half the other.”
For the official attempt to count, everyone had to drink one cuppa tea and eat one scone with clotted cream and jam — all under the watchful eye of the Guinness supervisors, sporting clipboards and flowery aprons.
We had to wait quite a bit for everyone’s tea to be poured and things to be “officially” set up. While we waited, we learned a trick for keeping the tea warm: place the plate with the scone on top of the teacup. It worked perfectly!
We also met Cath Kidston’s CEO, who announced that 100% of the event ticket sales — £11,000 — would be donated to their chosen charity Friends of the Elderly, which helps older adults lead more fulfilled lives.
We all started our cream tea at precisely the same time. All had English breakfast tea, with a choice of soya, semi-skimmed, or almond milk. Now, to chop the scone in two, then goes on the cream and jam. I went for the Devon style, although my neighbour went for Cornish. I love the thick, rich consistency of clotted cream — there’s something really special about the taste.
Scones with cream and jam. Or jam and cream? Yum!
We could also make special requests based on dietary requirements, e.g. gluten-free scones and lactose-free milk, which my other neighbour ordered.
Everything was delicious, and the tea was still warm!
The official Guinness World Record adjudicator paced slowly between the tables. Many supervisors, all looking rather serious in their floral aprons, also buzzed around and recorded numbers in clipboards.
The whole affair took about 2 hours and was officially judged on the spot. While we waited for the results to pour in, we had unlimited (yet unofficial) tea and scone refills. Honestly, I found that two scones with jam and clotted cream were filling enough.
When finally the adjudicator came back on stage, he told us eagerly awaiting guests that “some participants had to be disqualified.” Aww.
But…
We were 978 people, and we beat the previous record by some 243 people!
We made history!
And everyone received a very shiny medal for the official attempt.
“I shall be very happy to share this medal with my grandsons,” Mary Berry said.
By official accounts, we had consumed 250 litres of tea, 2,400 scones, and 4,100 pots of jam and clotted cream.
According to Cath Kidston, the lifestyle brand started with the desire “to make lovely things that showed off the British sense of humour — a little bit witty, a little bit tongue-in-cheek”. With this very British “knees-up,” they have definitely done just that.
And I got a medal too! :)
