Afternoon Tea Week | Cherry Scones

Happy Afternoon Tea Week! I hope you have all indulged yourself in cream and jam because I know I have. I actually had my first cream tea this week for the first time in years, thanks to my mum buying me some tablets that break down the lactose in products which means I can now enjoy all things naughty and not have to worry about it. You have no idea how happy it makes me that I can now look at all the amazing ice cream available and be able to eat a whole tub and not feel guilty about it!

Jake treated me to afternoon tea at this amazing hotel in Bath last week for my birthday. He had planned the whole day out for us which was full of surprises, it was really lovely and so relaxing. We had afternoon tea at The Royal Crescent Hotel, as the sun showed up we sat outside in the gardens to enjoy the sweet and savoury delights. We both chose the savoury option which included a range of sandwiches, a savoury layer which included a Croque Monsier and a spiced goats curd and lemon profiterole which was heavenly. The final layer was of course warm scones with jam and cream and traditional Bath buns all served with endless pots of tea.

So in honour of afternoon tea week and being inspired by my afternoon tea experience I made some cherry scones. I know traditionally you would have plain or fruit scones but cherries are a firm favourite in my house plus I love them so I faded away from tradition. As this was my first time making scones I didn't really know what to expect, however I was so shocked at how easy and simple they were to make! The first batch did have a few to many cherries in them which was great for the fam but they didn't rise as well as the second batch when I added less of them to the dough. I also added almonds on top for decoration and extra taste. They went down perfectly with some home made raspberry jam and clotted cream!

Ingredients (Makes 8) 

225g Self raising flour 

10g Butter 

1 1/2 Tbsp Caster Sugar 

Pinch of salt 

100g Glace cherries (washed and dried) 

150ml Milk 

Handful of toasted almond flakes 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6. 

Sift the flour into a bowl and rub the butter using your fingertips. Then stir in the caster sugar and the salt. Add in the cherries and stir so that they are evenly distributed through the flour mixture. 

Take a spatula or knife and mix in the milk slowly. With floured hands knead the mixture into a soft dough. Add more milk if the mixture seems too dry or more flour if the mixture seems to wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out thickly, you want them to be around 2cm thick. 

Cut out the scones with a 4/5cm cutter. Repeat until all the dough has been used up. Place the scones on a greased baking tray and dust the scones with a little flour. Bake near the top of the oven for around 12 minutes. Once cooked scatter the almonds on top and then leave to cool on a wire rack to cool. 

Serve warm with all the goodies!