Keepers of the Cream

A Cornish Legacy

On the last Friday of every June, a British tradition comes alive in the form of National Cream Tea Day. The decadent treat, made up of the humble scone, complemented with lashings of sweet jam and delicious clotted cream, is a classic dish in British culture and one that Cornwall’s involvement in is essential, as it is amongst the green pastures of this glorious southernmost county that Rodda’s, the Keepers of the Cream, do dwell.

David Griffen Photography

Whilst for many it has become the blazoned bold name in gold on the sides of tubs, bottles and vans and a quintessential name in Cornish culture, the name Rodda’s means much more than just the world’s leading clotted cream maker to Nicholas Rodda. Continuing five generationsworth of clotted cream making, Nick is the current member of the Rodda family to guide the business through new eras and new markets. Under his 30-year leadership, Rodda’s Clotted Cream has grown to supply clotted cream across the world, reaching as far as Australia and Hong Kong. It’s a far cry compared to 130 years ago, when Nick’s Great Great Grandmother, Eliza Jane, started making clotted cream in 1890 in the old farmhouse on Rodda’s grounds.

“Legacy can be tricky, it will either swamp you and hold you back, or you can embrace it and have the courage to move forward.”

Poignantly, Nick can see Eliza’s old farmhouse from his office window. Having grown up just 100 yards from the Rodda’s Creamery, the Cornishman would play and ride his bike around the grounds, and as a teenager soon found himself working on the creamery machines, wrestling between learning the trade of his family business and heading to university. When his father, Alfred, offered him the chance to stay within the business and start to learn all the different aspects that went in to creating Cornwall’s signature dairy product, Nick knew this was where his destiny lay. From there, Nick worked every part of the industry, from delivering on the vans to working in the lab, the offices and laying the foundations for his future career.

“Previous generations [at Rodda’s] have all worked very hard to build up the business,” explains Nick, “not only commercially but also ensuring it had a great sense of values, caring for people who work for us and helping others in the county.”

Based in Scorrier, Rodda’s original site is still where it stands today, which began five generations ago, when Eliza Jane had her grandson Willie, Nick’s grandfather, travel by train from Scorrier station to London to deliver Rodda’s to the hotels and restaurants of the nation’s capital. It was a risk, but Willie returned with a book full of orders, the British people’s taste for clotted cream was rich. Today, the creamery is working 364 days a year, churning out tons of clotted cream, milk and butter every day.

“I don’t think Eliza Jane could have imagined her Cornish clotted cream being enjoyed across the world,” describes Nick. “We now export our Cornish delicacy to over 15 countries including Dubai, India, Singapore, Australia and China. Afternoon teas and clotted cream is rising in popularity particularly in Japan. Visitors to the UK often fall in love with the concept of an afternoon tea and we also find that expats really crave classic foods, and the cream tea takes them straight back home with happy memories.” alone, Nick recognises the shift in the UK’s perception of Cornwall, both as a destination and as a county that produces high quality food and drink, “We have seen a huge rise in Cornwall’s awareness and appreciation of local provenance. Rodda’s flies the flag for Cornish business nationally, which is helping us to promote ‘Brand Cornwall’ to a wider audience. Brand Cornwall belongs to our county and stems from its heritage of great agriculture and fishing. It needs to be cherished and developed for the future and never taken for granted.”

In this ethos, Rodda’s takes a progressive approach as it looks to support Cornwall’s infrastructure and environment, whilst focusing on strategic growth. In 2016, Rodda’s looked to further strengthen its links with the west Cornwall farming community and introduced direct milk contracts for farmers within a 30-mile radius of the creamery, keeping food miles to a minimum and supporting local farmers. Now, 46 farming families supply 60 million litres of milk annually, and are part of the Rodda’s Farming Family Group. It’s been one of the businesses largest initiatives in recent decades and one Nick is proud to see running successfully,

“We are always challenging ourselves to do better in everything we do, and this has been our mantra over the decades,” he says. “Supporting local farmers is key to everything that we do. It’s an important part of our family values that we enjoy

lasting relationships with our local farmers and their families. They go the extra mile to provide us with the wonderful, richest and creamiest milk to make our cream.”

Accompanying the drive for further community support is the clotted cream empire’s goal to be more environmentally conscious, a challenge Nick wants to be totally transparent about. In the last two years alone, Rodda’s has worked to remove 2.5 tonnes of plastic from their business and are continuing to remove more, “We’ve put a big focus on food waste,” explains Nick, “and in the last three years we’ve reduced this by 75%. We’re also working with local waste contractors to try and create closed loop systems, where they can reuse some of our plastic into useful products that live on in new ways. We’ve also been working on reducing our energy consumption and have developed our own Rodda’s Environmental Policy… We are always looking at how we can use natural resources more efficiently and where we get our energy from.

“We know there’s lots more work to do, but we’re committed to sharing out progress as we make new developments.”

Looking ahead, Nick hopes to pass on the stewardship of the business to the 6th generation, and son Alex is already following in his father’s footsteps as he learns about the business from the shop floor up. With every era, there’s a new challenge, something Nick hopes he can prepare his sons for to set them in good stead for the future, “I’m not going to use any cliches, but I’ll take all the positives. The last year has been one where we’ve all been worried, tested, excited and yet invigorated within the business... Who could have predicted that we would find ourselves in a global pandemic! The last year has taught us a lot about the way we work, but it just confirmed to me never to take anything for granted and make sure we all appreciate the good things we have in life.”

Having celebrated their 130th anniversary last year, there’s a lot to reflect on at the Rodda’s family, a wealth of history matched by the task of continuing a legacy that goes hand in hand with Cornish culture. Thankfully it’s a legacy that’s unafraid to move with the times and stay just as delicious, “Throughout my years, there have been so many historic and proud moments that have made my time at Rodda’s so enjoyable and memorable. From working with the generations of farmers that have supplied us, to the amazing people I’ve have the pleasure to work with and have been part of the Rodda’s journey. It’s a true privilege to be part of something that has a very special place in people’s hearts and is considered a true Cornish institution.

“A lovely lady at the Royal Cornwall Show told me once that I could never sell Rodda’s, as it belonged to Cornwall!”

Admittedly, it’s almost surreal for many people to think of a family behind the Rodda’s name. For a product that is tied so closely to the very foundation of Cornish cuisine there’s definitely a sense of pride and ownership around the famous rich accompaniment. Whether it’s the first bowl of strawberries and cream on a summer’s day, to dollops of clotted cream on top of a jam-spread scone (that’s right, on top), it’s an applauded delight that is often a mascot for Cornwall and its hospitality industry. Although everyone has their own little twists on how to enjoy their Rodda’s, including Nick himself, “My guilty pleasure is a little mid-week treat, crushed banana, a drizzle of honey, topped with an inappropriately heaped spoonful of clotted cream – simple, lovely and so good.

“Of course, a cream tea is always a welcomed treat. It’s one of those special moments to savour in life…Nothing beats a warm, freshly baked scone topped with strawberry jam and a generous spoonful of Rodda’s cream”

As Friday 25th June pays homage to National Cream Tea Day, what better way to enjoy a typical British summer’s day than with a pot of Rodda’s to hand. Whether it’s the classic version or the extra indulgent Thunder and Lightning (where the jam is replaced with golden syrup), you can find something to suit all tastes on the Rodda’s website, which houses a host of recipes featuring Rodda’s and you can best be sure, they’re all delicious.

“As my Grandfather once told me,” says Nick, “’make sure it’s good, your name is on the side of the pot’.” l To discover more and visit the Rodda’s online shop, head to www.roddas.co.uk