Formula for the perfect afternoon tea with scones and jam

(I read it some time ago at the www.heraldsun.com... Definitely, there are quite a lot of bored people around)

A FRESHLY baked scone, a layer of fruity jam and lashings of cream - the ingredients for a traditional devonshire tea couldn't be simpler. But according to one expert you will also need a tape measure, scales and perhaps a degree in maths.

Dr Eugenia Cheng, of Sheffield University, claims to have devised a statistical formula for the perfect combination of jam, cream and scones. The mathematician concluded that the best weight ratio is 2:1:1, which means an average scone, weighing 70g, requires 35g of jam and 35g of cream.

Dr Cheng set the ideal thickness of the scone, with all its elements added, at about 2.8cm, allowing a relaxed open width of the mouth when taking a bite. The equation also specifies the thickness of the cream and jam layers. Wrangles over whether it should be jam first or cream, and whipped cream or clotted, have been running for generations, with references to the sweet treat dating back to the 11th century.

The Devon tradition is to slather the scone with cream first, while the Cornish - who also lay claim to inventing devonshire teas - prepare their scones the opposite way. Dr Cheng's formula is a victory for Cornwall, with jam spread first due to avoid it running off the edge.

Another rule in the scientific method is to use clotted rather than whipped cream. This is due to the excessive volume of whipped cream needed to satisfy the weight ratio. The thickness of the layer should not exceed that of the scone.

Dr Cheng said: 'Building a good scone is like building a good sandcastle - you need a wider base, and then it needs to get narrower as it goes up so that it doesn't collapse or drip.' She added that a 5mm rim should be left between the jam and the edge of the scone, and between the jam and cream.

The world's oldest producer of clotted cream, Rodda's Cornish Clotted Cream, which was founded in 1890, commissioned the study. Director Nicholas Rodda said: 'For a perfect scone, you need to have the right quantities of each ingredient and prepare them in the right way.' He said the formula ensured the perfect devonshire tea 'no matter where you are in the country'.