Stories

This month, to celebrate the National Trust’s Great Scone Bake on June 28, we are featuring that most iconic of British treats

The National Trust Book of Scones by Sarah Clelland includes 50 different recipes so there’s something for every different mouth in your house. You will find recipes for carrot & coriander scones, chocolate & hazelnut, leek & onion, cranberry & stilton, and even horseradish scones, and something perhaps wholly unfamiliar to the American ear, if not palate: Wet Nelly scones!

To get you started on your scone adventure, we have included two recipes below from Ms. Clelland’s charming book: a simple fruit scone and a basic cheese scone. Once you have conquered these, we encourage you to participate in the National Trust’s Great Scone Bake. (And send us pictures.) Visit their website to learn more.

A fruit scone, jam and clotted cream at Dunham Massey, Cheshire. ©National Trust Images/Rob Stothard

Fruit Scones
The Trust’s champion dish; serve with good strawberry jam and generous spoonfuls of clotted cream for the perfect afternoon tea.

Ingredients

Makes 8 scones

• 450g self-raising flour
• 115g butter, cubed
• 85g caster sugar
• 85g sultanas
• 1 egg, beaten
• 200ml milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter, using your fingertips, until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and sultanas.
4. Add the egg and gradually mix in about 150ml of the milk to make a soft dough.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly, then roll out to about 2–3cm (two fingers) thick. Stamp out using a 7cm round fluted cutter and transfer to the baking sheet. Knead the trimmings together lightly, re-roll and stamp out more rounds until you have made eight scones.
6. Brush the tops lightly with the remaining milk, then bake for 10–15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Best served warm.

Cook’s Tip

Scones are best baked on the day of serving, but you can prepare the mixture in advance: rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the sugar and sultanas and keep in the fridge in a plastic bag or box. When you are ready to make the scones, add the egg and milk and continue as above.

Cheese scones in the tea-room at Killerton, Devon. ©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Cheese Scones

These savory scones are made with mature cheese and are delicious served warm from the oven with a bowl of soup.

Ingredients

Makes 8 scones

• 450g self-raising flour
• 115g butter, cubed
• 140g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 150ml milk
• 1 tsp English mustard

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter, using your fingertips, until it resembles fine crumbs. Reserve 25g of the cheese and stir the rest into the flour with a little salt and pepper.
3. Crack the egg into a jug, add 125ml of the milk and the mustard and whisk together using a fork, then gradually stir into the flour to make a smooth, soft dough.
4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly, then cut in half. Shape each half into a ball, flatten slightly and roll out to a circle 15cm in diameter. Cut each circle into quarters and arrange on the baking sheet, leaving space between the quarters so that there is room for them to rise.
5. Brush the tops lightly with the remaining milk and sprinkle with the reserved cheese. Bake for 12–15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Best served warm.