English Scones

If you could plan the perfect day for yourself - what would you do?  I would spend the day exploring someplace that I'd never been, stroll through a home and garden tour with friends and then have tea in the middle of the afternoon while sitting outside of the cutest little church in town.😉  I had no idea when I went to New Zealand that this is what my day in Greytown would look like but there I was - living my dream. 😅🏡🌺 ⛪️🫖

On this beautiful day, I had to keep reminding myself that it was the first week of February.  I was so inspired by the beautiful gardens that I had to resist the temptation to come home and immediately start planting my spring flowers.😬🌷 It will be a few more weeks until it's warm enough here to start planting flowers.  

We stopped and visited the sweetest little church on our garden tour and inside, they were serving Devonshire Tea.  I had never heard of the term Devonshire tea before this and I had no idea what I'd been missing.😅 

Devonshire tea - a traditional British snack comprising freshly baked scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam, and hot tea - google. 

We were served a scone and jam, a savory (mini bacon quiche), mini sandwiches and tea.  We took our delicate china cups and plates outside to beautifully decorated tables that were set up in the church courtyard to enjoy our lunch.  I wish that I would have taken a picture but apparently I was too wrapped up in the experience to think about pictures - and hungry.😂  I'm not sure what I enjoyed more the company, the homes, the gardens, the flowers or the tea.  It was all amazing. 

I still have to wait for the weather to warm up a bit here before I can sit outside in my garden and enjoy Devonshire Tea so in the meantime, I'll be over here perfecting my scone recipe so I'm ready.😂 🫖 

English Scones
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut into cubes
¾ cup milk, warm but not hot
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 large egg, beaten for egg wash

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in food processor.  

Add butter and pulse until crumbly. 

Combine milk, lemon juice and vanilla.  

Add milk mixture to processor and pulse until just combined.  

Transfer dough to floured counter and fold together several times.  

Pat into a disk 1 1/2" high.  

Cut scones with a 2" cutter. 

Brush the tops of scones with egg wash.  Place scones on a silpat lined baking sheet, preheated to 400.  ​

Bake 10-15 minutes. 

Adding halved maraschino cherries to the dough before rolling it out was the best decision.  These were ahhhh--mazing! 

Ciao!

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