Not, as you might think, fresh cream at all! It’s another sour cream, but with a higher fat content – typically more like 28-30%. Artifical or imitation cream I am based in southern France so I don’t know if the situation is different in the north. Having travelled nearly all over however I have as yet not found cream in the shops. For a copy the document produced by the PTF, see: Code of Practice on Compositional Standards for Cream Designations in the UK.

One I have come across in recipes before is “pouring cream”. I have absolutely no idea what that is. I think I’ve used double cream for this when I’ve come across it.Thanks for the reply… It’s where I see some recipes stating 600ml of Cooking Cream or other amounts, and I’m curious as to what ‘exactly’ they are using. There is nothing like trying to recreate the very recipe they list really…! THANK YOU…US expat living in Scotland have been so disappointed not to find half and half for my coffee but took a gamble on Single Cream after your explanation and am now enjoying the creamy coffee again. CHEERS I also find that using a small amount in a wide bowl to get as much air in as possible is best but even so it’s a very pathetic best. Is it actually a dairy product? There are some “creams” which are vegetable-based. If it is indeed a dairy product, then I guess you’re right just to look at the fat content.

If I require some single cream and I have none to hand, can I convert Creme Frache which I have plenty of, into single cream ? ( I need the single cream for a cream of mushroom recipe) About half a tub of mascarpone (approx 130 gms), add about 100 to 150mls of 35% whipping cream and whip; add about 8gms of vanilla sugar, continue until it does not move when the bowl is at an angle. works a treat. Personally, I’d think that condensed soup would spoil the clean, fresh flavour of the dish, but if you like the soup, then why not? After all, it’s you who’s going to eat it. UHT can stand for ‘ultra-high temperature’ or ‘ultra-heat treatment’. Either way, it involves raising cream way above the usual temperature for sterilisation, but for a much shorter period of time – so the change in taste and colour is much smaller than is involved with sterilised cream. It’s a good standby if you can’t get fresh. Sour or soured cream

Sterilised cream” means cream which has been subjected to a process of sterilisation by heat treatment in the container in which it is to be supplied to the consumer. This is unsterilised cream containing a minimum of 18% fat. It’s a general-purpose cooking cream and is also suitable for pouring over desserts and using in coffee. Sterilised cream I would have taken “pouring cream” to mean “whipping cream”. But there again that’s the only kind of cream I can easily get where I live so I use it for just about everything – even when double cream is called for. I also live in Spain and I have only found the UHT whipping cream which is so thin and does not whip and hold, and the cooking cream, which is ok for sauces. I make a lot of cheesecakes and i have not yet dared to try using it instead of buying the extremely expensive English cream. I am always too afraid to try it in case it does not set! It think the problem is that they both say “30% less fat”? I will have a go as it will save me a fortune. The following definitions and terms have been defined/specified by the Provision Trade Federation (PTF) in the UK. Whilst not legally binding, they do establish a basis for a judgement as to what might be considered 'misleading'.