IT'S an age-old debate that has been passed down through generations of tea drinkers and scone eaters across the country.
It's a practice that can bring friends and families together or can cause rifts that last for at least a few hours.
So, in the wake of National Afternoon Tea Week, we set out to bring an end to this burning issue and answer once and for all, what goes on first: jam or cream?
We've scoured the country, or at least Redhill, Reigate and the Twittersphere, in search of the answer behind this creamy calorie-packed concoction which could go back as far as the 900s.
Expert opinions have been collated from cafés and customers across the borough. Even the Dorchester and The Ritz London tried to settle it for us.
And we are now able to put an end to this age-old debate that goes back to when scones, jam and cream were first melded together, and the result came down to a single vote.
The correct way of assembling a cream tea is (drum roll please) – cream first and then jam.
Responding to our pleas for help, a number of customers and cafés answered.
The Dorchester Hotel said: "It's all down to personal preference and both variations are acceptable. We enjoy cream first but how about trying one of each?"
The Ritz London also went for this method, saying: "We would think cream first!"
Members of the public were divided, however.
Peter Wright, 51, a taxi driver from Horley, said: "I'd put jam on first and then cream. I've always done it that way."
Patrick Lindfield, a 52-year-old firefighter from Redhill, added: "I think it should be done jam first and then cream on top. That's how I would do it anyway. I just don't think it's right putting jam on top."
But in the end it came down to one opinion, with Fanny Maiklem of Fanny's Farm Shop in Merstham saying: "It should be done with cream then jam on top because the cream takes the place of the butter."
