Definitions of cream in Britain.

Definitions of cream in Britain | Not Delia
As the fat content increases, the cream gets thicker and you can do more with it.

The terms defined by British law are:

SINGLE CREAM

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

Must contain a minimum of 23% fat.
Use as for single cream.

DOUBLE CREAM

This cream can be either sterilised or fresh, but must contain at least 48% fat. It whips easily, and the thickness means it can be piped.

WHIPPING CREAM/WHIPPED CREAM

Again, it can be either fresh or sterilised, but must contain a minimum of 35% fat – the only difference between the two is that whipping cream is ready for whipping, whipped cream has already been whipped.
It doesn’t whip up as thickly as double cream, so you may have trouble piping it.

CLOTTED CREAM

Clotted cream is clotted by slow heat treatment – causing it to partially evaporate and thus become thicker.
It’s even thicker than double cream – it has to contain at least a whopping 55% of milk fat, nearly as much as some home-made butters.
(Commercially produced butter typically contains over 80%.)
Very much a specialist cream, for use with traditional recipes like scones and stargazy pie.

Clotted cream: A silky, golden-yellow cream made by allowing unpasteurized cow's milk (traditionally from Jersey cows) to sit for 12-24 hours in shallow pans, then slowing heating it and leaving it to cool for another 12-24 hours.
The cream that rises to the surface and "clots" is skimmed off and served with scones, berries, or desserts.
The best clotted cream is said to have a good, firm crust atop smooth, thick cream.
Clotted cream originated in Southwest England (either in Cornwall or Devon, depending on who you ask), and Cornish clotted cream has been awarded the EU's Protection Designation of Origin.
It has a minimum of 55% butterfat.

SOUR OR SOURED CREAM

This is cream with a similar fat content to single cream, which has been soured and thickened by the controlled action of lactic acid bacteria.

CRÈME FRAÎCHE

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%.