Scones - just perfect for a Devonshire Tea

Description:
Some of my strongest memories of my mother when I was a young child was spending many companionable hours in the kitchen with her on baking day. My mother didn’t believe that store bought biscuits or cookies were good for us so everything was home-made. Mind you I’m not complaining, she was an excellent cook and baked a variety of biscuits, slices and cakes to feed a horde of hungry children. All of us were required to do a couple of hours each in the kitchen with her on Saturdays, helping to measure ingredients, making the cookies or icing them and dish pan duty. Usually around midday she would quickly throw together a batch of savoury or plain scones, some muffins or maybe pancakes or French toast.

My favourite was always when she did plain scones and we would have our own Devonshire tea party. (in case you don’t know what this is, a Devonshire tea consists of scones, halved & then spread with clotted cream and strawberry jam) We didn’t quite stick to the authentic tea, we used to apply lashings of butter then jam (usually strawberry or raspberry) and then add a dollop of whipped cream (can I say ewww to clotted). They were divine!

I can’t tell you how many times over those years I tried to make my own scones following my mothers recipe but after many many failures I just gave up trying. My results were usually inedible, athough I will say my brothers just loved them……they used to play this vicious type of tag (usually with a couple of cricket balls, but my scones hurt just as bad lol).

About 10 years ago I was watching a tv cooking show, I think the chef was a lady called Jo Seager, and she claimed to have an “easy fail-safe” scone recipe. I was sitting there thinking yeah right lady, you have no idea who you are dealing with here…. But I did pay attention & noted the recipe down thinking I might just give this one last ditch effort.

I waited patiently one day until my family were going to be out of the house for a few hours, there was no way I was going to risk being humiliated by my certain failure. I think I had even mentally drafted the nasty letter to the television chef telling her what a crock of shit her programme was lol.

Well I found the recipe very easy to throw together and in no time at all I had a batch of scones that actually looked and tasted like the real McCoy. I make these all the time now & have never had a failure since.

I hope if you do try this recipe you enjoy them as much as I still do.


Ingredients:
4 cups self raising flour

300 ml cream (1 ¼ cup US)

1 can of soda (355 ml) the original recipe stated lemon & paeroa but as that is only available in NZ so use lemonaide, sprite or 7up instead.

½ teaspoon salt


Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until you have formed a smooth dough. Tip out onto a well floured surface & roll or flatten dough to a thickness of 5cm. Cut into squares or press out shapes with a round cookie cutter. Arrange on a baking tray (I find I don’t need to grease the tray) & bake @ 220°c (425 °f) for approx 15-20 mins until golden in colour & cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve whilst still warm with jam or preserve of your choice & whipped cream. They are also nice if you garnish with fresh fruit & cream.