The age-old debate, which comes first on a fresh scone, warm from the oven?? For me, it will always be jam first, preferably Raspberry, and topped with thick whipped or clotted cream. Some charlatans out there think it’s cream first, then jam, imagine!!
I am partial to a good blackberry jam too, for me, it invokes rose-tinted memories of childhood blackberry hunting with my beloved Nana. In the country trails that surround the sea-side town of Bundoran, Co. Donegal, where I grew up, we spent many a happy hour staining our small fingers purple and eating more berries than we gathered!
We would bring them home, wash them, return the odd caterpillar to the hedgerow, and Nana would begin the jam process. Soon enough, every carefully saved jam jar from the year preceding would be meticulously sterilised and then filled with thick, syrupy, deliciously dark black berry jam, with a magical addition of a little bit of apple (I never did know why, but it always made a difference!) we would make ourselves sick on toast and jam for days and days after.
My mother would hid a few jars away and surprise us in the dark winter months after Christmas with a jar or two as a treat!
When I discovered the delicious preserves made by Grange Crafts (whose beautiful Irish Wool Socks we also sell), I knew that they had to be a feature in our Irish Gift area. With almost all of the ingredients locally sourced (the oranges are from Seville, the inclement weather in Ireland doesn’t lend itself to many orange groves), these jams and marmalades have to be tried to be believed, they are DELicious, and the raspberry jam transports me back to hazy days and smiles with the memories it brings when I bite into a doorstep of fresh baked bread topped with real butter and a thick coating of jam. Toast and marmalade cannot be beaten, but for me, the best, is a fresh scone with raspberry jam.
We have four options in store – Blackcurrent with Rum, Raspberry with Kirsh, Strawberry with Cointreau and Irish Whiskey Marmalade.
I’ve typed out below my fail-safe scone recipe, I’ve been making this recipe since I was a child, my mother taught me how to bake at a young age, and now my own sons ask me every other week for “Granny’s scones”. The recipe, much adapted over many years, orginates from an Odlums recipe.
You can add any fruit you like, cranberries, raisins, or frozen raspberries (fresh will just disintegrate) to the dry ingredients before adding liquid.
Ingredients:
1lb Self-Raising Flour (it’s fine to use a gluten-free alternative here!)
1/2 pint Buttermilk (I like the richness of the flavour, you can use a regular milk or a dairy free milk alternative)
1 egg (optional)
pinch of salt
1-2oz castor sugar (if you would like to make savoury scones, omit the sugar and add curry powder/herbs)
2 oz Butter – cubed (or use a dairy free alternative)
Method:
1.Sieve flour and salt and sugar in a bowl.
2. Rub in butter/margarine, this means, taking little pieces of butter between your finger and rubbing them together so they mix with the flour and soon will start to resemble breadcrumbs. (you can also cheat and blitz in a food processor, just pulse 3 or 4 times, you don’t want to over-process it!)
3. Mix the egg and buttermilk together.
4. Add sufficient milk and egg mix to make a soft dough. you want it to be slightly sticky to the touch, not too dry, this makes for a fluffier scone
5. Turn onto a floured board and gently knead to remove any cracks. Avoid too much kneading, the less handling of the dough, the better
6. Roll out lightly to 1″ in thickness. Cut into scones with a cutter dipped in flour. (press down firmly, do not twist!)
7. Place on a floured preheated baking sheet/tray, glaze if liked with remaingin beaten egg and milk mix.
8.If you like to, top with some castor sugar for a sweet crunch, or if making savoury, top with some finely grated parmesan!
9. Bake in a preheated oven 220°C/425°F/Gas 8 on upper shelf position for 10 mins approx. They are cooked through when the bottom of a scone, when tapped, sounds hollow.
10. Cool on a wire tray (if you can wait!), then slice in half, spread with jam, then cream and enjoy!
- savoury scones are a great option to serve with soup for a tasty wintery lunch or dinner gathering starter
- scones freeze really well, freeze uncooked after cutting into scone, flat on a tray until frozen solid, then you can put them in a bag or box. Bake from frozen in a pre-heated oven for an extra 5 minutes
- if they last long enough to go slightly stale, pop into the toaster, oven or air fryer for a few mins to make them fluffy again!
