Yorkshire cricket and cream teas are the perfect combination. Sue Gaudie makes it a gourmet experience
Picture the scene - the sun is shining, you're reclining on a picnic blanket under a cover of blue skies, there's the occasional thwack of leather on willow and from time to time, a gentle ripple of applause.
And then, half way through the match - tea is served. For some the finest hour.
But this isn't just ANY tea…think proper sandwiches with lashings of local meats, home-baked cakes and sumptuous scones swathed in the very best clotted cream.
'I'm trying to convert the world!' So proclaims Sue Gaudie, an award-winning clotted-cream producer from East Harlsey near Northallerton. Sue's Stamfrey Farm Clotted Cream has become renowned across the North.
'Oh I put clotted cream on everything! I'm originally from Cornwall and when I landed in North Yorkshire, I couldn't really buy it anywhere. I'd asked some visiting friends to bring me a batch because I was missing a taste of home and it was they who suggested I make some myself. I just thought, 'why not?' And so Stamfrey Farm Clotted Cream was born.'
Stamfrey Farm is home to Sue, her husband Angus, her three sons in their twenties, 150 cows - and Stamfrey Farm Organics.
The farm uses natural energy systems with the cows being reared on just grass, clover and organic feed.
Sue explains: 'Much of our electricity demand is supplied through a solar PV system so our success relies on sunlight.
The clotted cream itself is made using milk from the organic herd - it's an intricate process: the whole milk is collected and the rich, Yorkshire cream is then separated from the rest of the milk. The final stage is the vital stage, as Sue reveals, 'It's all in the cooking process. Our cream is cooked gently over a water bath - the traditional way.'
And it's this that gives the organic clotted cream its unique, velvety texture and the unmistakeable crust on the top.
But it's not just all about clotted cream - down on the farm, there's something else brewing…
'Yorg' is a Stamfrey Farm's organic, bio-live yoghurt - low fat, high in protein and full of gut-friendly bacteria too. You can see why it (and the clotted cream) won a gold award at this year's Great Yorkshire Show.
It's testament to Sue and the family's hard work that their products are now sold across the North in shops, cafes and restaurants.
And then there's Sue's infamous cricket teas served up in Stokesley and East Harsley. We're not just talking a glass of juice and a sandwich here.
Competition can be fierce when serving up the vital ingredient to any cricket match but Sue won't be beat.
'Pork, stuffing and apple rolls, homemade flapjacks, brownies and scones and of course clotted cream is compulsory! And the yoghurt drinks seem to be a real hit with the players as well. But really, We offer whatever anybody wants - with clotted cream!'
So what else does Sue recommend we indulge with clotted cream…?
'We love it on a rich chocolate brownie or with waffles. Sometimes simple is best so we drop a dollop or two on summer fruits or - and this is a real favourite - with banana and a sprinkle of sugar.'
But a scone without Sue's clotted cream - well it's just not cricket…
