88/10

This is a long, oval-shaped copper creamer pan, used in Devon for making clotted cream over a wood-fuelled double stove. The milk was allowed to set in the pan for approximately twelve hours and then placed over the stove to be heated slowly and gently. When it had achieved the proper flavour and texture and was wrinkled on the surface, the cream was skimmed off using a brass or copper hand skimmer and packed, often in pottery jars. This pan belonged to the donor's father who acquired it from a farm in Devon, probably between 1880-1890.

1 clotted cream pan: copper; oval

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – 'Standard museum name: CLOTTED CREAM PAN // Accession number: 88/10 // Classification: PROCESSING Milk // Negative number: 60/15458 // Acquisition method: GIFT // Acquired from, date: Miss V. E. CHEKE, [...], May 1988 // Store: small object // Condition: good // Recorder, date: JMB 10.6.88 // Description: Oval copper pan with rim at lower edge and handles at each end. // Dimensions: Length: 71.0cm Width: 33.0cm Height: 10.0cm // Associated information: Came from Devon and used for making clotted cream by standing over a stove. // Date 19th century. // References: see attached information from Miss Cheke.', Miscellaneous note, Miss Val Cheke, 1988 - 'Gifts to Museum of Rural Science // 1 - "Creamer" for making "Clotted", "Scalded", "Devon" Cream. This one came from a Devon farm (via my father who probably obtained it between 1880-1890 - or maybe [?] from a relative living in W. Country. It must have been antique when my father got it! Presumably Devon. // This type of creamer, long-shaped, was used over a double stove, usually wood-fuelled - the stove having two openings to give even heating. [ink sketch] - top of stove could be wood or metal. Milk was allowed to "set" in the pan for approx. 12 hours - sometimes longer depending on weather. When the maximum cream had risen, the creamer was placed over the stove-holes - lengthways. The heating had to be very gradual to give the characteristic "scalded" flavour and granular texture (heated albumen). When "wrinkled" on surface after slow heating, the cream was skimmed oft with hand skimmer, brass or copper. Then packed, often in pottery jars. // 2 - Brass milk pan - also from W. Country, but place unknown. Collected by my father presumably same period as creamer, but could be later. - The Brass Pans had disadvantage of easily being dented, & were not so good for the slow even heating. - The milk was set in usual way, when risen was "scalded" as in 1. The setting period depended on To[?] - even in a cool old-type farm dairy, souring could occur & once clotted by acidity, could not be heated.'