Devonshire Cream Tea Scones

About This Recipe

A proper Devonshire cream tea is one of life's great simple pleasures — tall, golden scones with a tender crumb, split open and loaded with thick clotted cream and strawberry jam. The Devonshire way puts the cream on first, then the jam, and the scones should be freshly baked, still slightly warm, and eaten with a pot of strong tea nearby.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 350 gself-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 0.25 tspsalt
• 85 gcold unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tbspcaster sugar
• 175 mlbuttermilk
• 1 largeegg, beaten, for glaze
• 200 gclotted cream, to serve
• 150 gstrawberry jam, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Rub in the butter

   Preheat oven to 220 °C (425 °F). Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Rub in cold butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2. 2

   Bring dough together

   Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk. Mix with a knife using cutting motions until the dough just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and pat to 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. Do not knead.

3. 3

   Cut and glaze

   Stamp out rounds using a 6 cm fluted cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Re-pat scraps and cut more. Place on a lined baking tray close together. Brush tops with beaten egg.

4. 4

   Bake

   Bake for 12-14 minutes until well risen and golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Serve

   Split scones in half while still warm. Add a generous spoonful of clotted cream first, then top with strawberry jam. Serve with a pot of tea.

Variations

• •

  Add 80 g sultanas to the dry mix for fruit scones.

• •

  Replace buttermilk with cream for an even richer scone.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten within hours of baking. Store in an airtight container up to 1 day. Freeze unbaked scones for up to 1 month and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions