Step 1

Pour heavy cream into a very heavy, very large, non reactive frying-pan. The goal here is to create as much surface area as possible, and to use a pan that will conduct heat evenly and steadily.

Step 2

Place pan on the stove, with the burner set to the lowest possible setting. If you have a ‘warm’ setting, then perfecto! Otherwise, use what you’ve got. If you have a gas stove, Sam suggests using a heat diffuser.

Step 3

After about an hour, a thick layer will have formed on the surface of the cream. Scrape it off with a non-slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl, keeping the top of the fat layer facing upwards, if at all possible. Repeat this step three or four more times until most of the cream has thickened and been scraped into the bowl.

Step 4

Transfer the clotted cream to a tightly sealed container and refrigerate over night. After it’s rested for the evening, you should have a “thick, gloopy, knobbly-surfaced cream which you can spread onto a freshly baked scone.” And if that’s not the epitome of excellent clotted cream, I don’t know what is.