A Taste of the Past: Making Clotted Cream and Life as a Dairy Maid in Colonial Times

A London Town Educator demonstrates how to wash butter.

In the quiet early hours at Historic London Town and Gardens, one might have heard the soft lowing of cows and the rhythmic swish of milk hitting wooden pails. Dairy maids—young women entrusted with one of the most vital roles in colonial households—were up before dawn, tending to their chores. Cleanliness was paramount; every vessel used for milk and cream had to be scalded and scrubbed, even a hint of sourness could spoil an entire batch of butter or cheese. 

Milking times were strictly observed. In spring and summer, the cattle were milked between five and six in the morning and again in the early evening. A good dairy maid understood her animals, often stroking them during milking to soothe them and collect the richer “strokings,” or last milk, which was prized for cheese-making. Routine was everything—not just for the cows, but for the quality of the final product. 

Among the many dairy arts that were most likely practiced at London Town, making clotted cream—then called “clouted cream”—was both a culinary and domestic highlight. It began with fresh milk placed into a broad earthen pan and set over a very low fire for the entire day; making sure it never boiled. After sitting overnight to cool, a rich, thick cream would rise to the top, ready to be skimmed and enjoyed. 

Dairy maids guarded their cream carefully, warned not to waste it on “liquorish persons”—those looking for free tastes—or give away butter and whey to gossiping neighbors. Butter was made on scheduled churning days, washed clean of buttermilk and salted for preservation. May was the best month to pot up butter for winter, when the mild air helped it keep longer. 

From tending cattle to crafting clotted cream, the dairy maid’s work was demanding but essential. At Historic London Town and Gardens, we bring these Colonial Foodways to life and it reminds us how much skill and care went into every bite of buttered bread, every spoonful of cream—a taste of history right in your backyard.  

Read the source information for this article written in 1670 by Hannah Woolley: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A66839.0001.001/1:7?rgn=div1;view=fulltext