24 Jun It’s tea-time this National Cream Tea Day!
It’s tea-time this National Cream Tea Day!
This National Cream Tea Day is the perfect occasion to bring out the most quintessentially British teatime treat – fresh scones! Best when served warm from the oven, scones are surprisingly simple to make and are even more rewarding to eat, especially when slathered with fruity jam and a dollop of thick clotted cream!
Of course, there are fruit scones, cheese scones, and scones flavoured with everything from lemon and blueberry to strawberry and chocolate, but we’re keeping it simple with our favourite classic raisin recipe; it’s hard to beat!
The only question once you’ve made them is which goes on first – jam or cream? We’ll leave you to fight it out amongst yourselves…
To make your scones even more indulgent…
Why not add the juiciest strawberries from the fantastic Steve Harris Pick Your Own farm in Titchfield, or you can grab a punnet of goodness along with some fresh cream from The Fruit Basket in Stubbington?
The recipe
Makes 12 large or 24 small scones
Ingredients:
16oz (450g) self-raising flour
4 tsps baking powder
4oz (100g) butter
2oz (50g) caster sugar
2 eggs
Milk
A good handful of raisins
Method:
Heat oven to 220C,425F, gas 7. Lightly grease your baking trays.
Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Break the eggs into a measuring jug and make up to 10fl oz (300ml) with milk.
Stir into the flour and mix to a soft, not sticky, dough. If you’re choosing to add raisins, do so here, but take care not to over mix or the scones will be heavy.
Flour your hands and tip out onto a floured surface. Roll or pat into a circle around 3cm thick.
Cut into rounds using a floured plain cutter and place on the prepared baking trays.
Brush the tops with any egg and milk mixture left in the jug, taking care not to let it drip down the sides.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a pale golden brown.
Leave to cool on a wire rack and eat as soon as possible with lashings of jam and cream.
