Costa’s answer to the jam-or-cream debate is served in Saltash

Saltash sits right on the line where Cornwall ends and Devon begins, which makes it the perfect place to pick a fight about scones. Costa Coffee has done the opposite. The chain has used its Saltash store to launch a scone topped with jam and cream piped together in a single swirl, a peace offering in an argument the country has been having for generations.

The first dual-swirl scone was served there to the Mayors of Saltash and Kingsbridge, a nod to the two counties that have never agreed on the correct way to top a scone. The store, sat on the Devon-Cornwall border, is the symbolic home of the whole rivalry.

A swirl built for both sides

Instead of siding with jam-first or cream-first, Costa has gone for both at once. The topping is piped simultaneously using a specially made dual piping bag, giving a balanced swirl of the two. The idea is a playful compromise rather than a ruling.

Councillor Brian Stoyel, Mayor of Saltash, was one of the first to try it. “We’re proud that Saltash has become the home of Britain’s latest chapter in the great scone debate,” Brian said. “The beauty of Costa’s 50/50 scone is that it celebrates both traditions rather than choosing between them. After trying it for myself, I can confirm it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds, proof that sometimes bringing people together is even better than settling the argument.”

Andrea Stewart, Global Head of Food at Costa, said the location was chosen on purpose. “Our research shows Britain remains divided when it comes to how people top their scones, so we thought it was about time someone brought both sides together,” Andrea said. “Rather than choosing between two much-loved traditions, we wanted to create a playful compromise that celebrates both approaches and gives everyone a way to enjoy their cream tea. And we couldn’t think of a more fitting place to launch the dual-swirl than Saltash, sitting right on the Devon-Cornwall border.”

📷The Mayors of Kingsbridge and Saltash - based on either side of the great British cream tea debate - receive the first Costa 50/50 scone, piped with jam and cream simultaneously to settle the age-old question of what goes on first.

Cornwall is winning the argument

For all the talk of compromise, the research behind the launch suggests one side already has the upper hand. Costa’s survey found that 71% believe jam should go on first, the Cornish way, against 29% who insist on cream and then jam, the Devonian way.

The feeling runs deep. A third (30%) of Brits say they have strong feelings about the order, and 36% are adamant their own method is the “correct” one. Nearly four in ten (37%) admit they have judged someone for doing it the “wrong” way, and 20% say they have refused to eat a scone assembled in what they consider the wrong order.

People in Plymouth (46%) hold the strongest views of anywhere in the country, ahead of Londoners (39%). Those in Stoke-on-Trent (39%) are the most likely to actually argue with you about it. One in five (22%) have got into a heated debate with a friend over toppings, and 19% admit they are in a relationship with someone who tops a scone the opposite way. To keep the peace, a quarter (26%) quietly change their order depending on who they are eating with.

The scones are back after five years

The launch also brings Costa’s scones back to the menu for the first time in more than five years. They are available in over 1,000 stores. There is a new Afternoon Bundle too, a regular hot or iced drink and a scone served with jam and cream, from £6.49 in selected stores, running until Wednesday 21 October 2026. Full terms are on the Costa website.

Costa puts the timing down to a wider revival. The company says one in two (52%) younger Brits reckon the cream tea is finding a new audience online, part of a run of retro pastimes being rediscovered by the TikTok generation alongside picnic baskets (48%), Victoria sponge (36%), floral summer dresses (36%) and afternoon tea in the garden (29%). More than half (53%) say these traditions remind them of simpler times, and 47% think they add more fun to life.

📷The Mayors of Kingsbridge and Saltash - based on either side of the great British cream tea debate - receive the first Costa 50/50 scone, piped with jam and cream simultaneously to settle the age-old question of what goes on first.

And then there’s the pronunciation

Toppings are only half the battle. The same research found 55% pronounce “scone” to rhyme with “gone” and 45% say it rhymes with “bone”. One in three (36%) have silently judged someone over how they say it, and 37% could not hold it in and corrected them.

There are signs the country might be ready to call a truce, with 57% saying they would welcome a compromise that lets everyone eat their scone their own way and 79% agreeing the traditional cream tea is a Great British classic. The findings come from a nationally representative survey run for Costa Coffee by research agency Perspectus Global in July 2026. Whether a swirl piped in Saltash is enough to end an argument this old is another question.

📷Costa takes on one of Britain's longest-running food feuds by refusing to pick a side, using a bespoke dual piping bag to bring jam and cream together at the same time.