Sweet scones

This has been a staple for many many years, inspired by all the castle-visits my parents used to take us on when we were younger. They are incredibly versatile. Fill them with raisins as the recipe suggests, or any dried fruit such as cranberries or freeze-dried strawberries. Add a teaspoon or two of spice or throw in chocolate and caramel chunks. Whatever you choose, these scones never fail to comfort!

 

We'd visit a hard-to-reach countryside castle in England, Ireland and Scotland to go on an overpriced tour . An enthusiastic guide would tell us everything there was to know about the previous lines of occupants, including some haunted stories and the history of wars in the area. After the toar we'd sit down in the museum cafe before moving on to the next destination in our busy holliday schedules. A museum cafe always serves scones. And carrot cake. We'd argue over who get's to pick what, but we'd always end up sharing so we could have a taste of everthing. Come to think of it, some of the best scones and carrot cakes I've everr had come from museum cafes.

 

Scones

Makes 6 scones - from The Book of Scones

 

450 grams selfraising flour 

pinch of salt

115 grams butter

85 grams sugar

85 grams sultanas or raisins

1 egg

200 ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius

2. Sift lour and rub in the butter to get a fine crumb. 

3. Add sugar and sultanass, mix. 

4. Add egg and 150 ml milk and mix in to create a soft dough. 

5. Roll out to a square of about 2-3cm thickness. Cut into pieces and place on al baking sheet. 

6. Brush with milk and b ake at 200 degrees Celsius sfor 10-15 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy your scone with a warm cup of tea, a candle and a good book! Wishing you all the best...