There’s nothing nicer than sitting down to a nice afternoon cream tea, especially on Mother’s Day! 

As many of us are still unable to meet up in person this Sunday, I thought how about a fully home-made cream tea that can be given as a gift and then shared over Zoom etc?

And what’s better is it all looks super fancy but is in fact one of the easiest recipes to make, also making them from scratch is a hell of a lot cheaper and far more satisfying!

So why not show that special person how much you care and whip up a tasty treat sure to impress! And also learn a few skills that are indispensable in baking at the same time!? Also, the jam has Gin in it! So why the hell not! 

Ingredients

For the Scones - 

·       450 g self-raising flour

·       3 tsp baking powder

·       50 g caster sugar

·       125 g butter, cold, cut into pieces

·       2 free-range eggs

·       Milk (see recipe for quantities)

For the Strawberry and Pink Gin Jam – 

·       1 punnet of fresh strawberries (400g approx.)

·       1 lemon (juiced and zest peeled with a peeler in wide strips)

·       100 g granulated sugar

. 1 tbs Pink Gin - Optional

For the Clotted Cream – 

·       600 ml double cream (largest pot you can buy)

Method

 1 -

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone matt.

 2 -

Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. To this, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

 3 -

Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and add enough milk so that you have 300 ml of liquid. Whisk this up to break the eggs and combine. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add two thirds of the milk and mix until you have a soft, sticky dough. You can add more of your milk and egg mixture as necessary but you may not need it all. You can reserve any remaining liquid for brushing on top of the scones later.

 4 -

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently bring together into a rough dough. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out to a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick.

 5 -

Cut into as many rounds as possible with a 2” round cutter and place them on the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with milk or any of the milk and egg mixture left in the jug from earlier.

 6 -

Bake for 15 minutes or until risen and a pale, golden-brown colour. Lift onto a wire rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container and consume as fresh as possible, preferably with jam and cream

Strawberry and Pink Gin Quick Jam.

1 – 

Start by removing the tops (green part) and thoroughly wash your strawberries, then cut into quarters. Place a small plate or bowl in the freezer to chill.

2 – 

Place the prepared strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally. Once the strawberries are starting to break down, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 mins until thick and reduced. You can test that the jam is ready by placing a small drop on a plate that has been chilled - if the jam sets thick, it’s ready. 

3 – 

Remove the jam from the heat, add your gin (if using) and stir thoroughly to combine. After this, transfer to a heatproof bowl/dish to cool. Once cool, remove the lemon zest, cover and place in the fridge. This jam will last up to 3 months in the fridge in an air-tight container. 

Home-made Clotted Cream.

1 – 

Preheat your oven to 80 degrees C. 

2 - 

Pour your cream into an oven safe glass or ceramic dish. Cover tightly with foil and place into the middle of the preheated oven. 

3 – 

Bake for 12 hours and do not open the door. Don’t be tempted to open the door. Once the 12 hours is up, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temp. Then, cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate overnight. 

4 – 

Once chilled, using a spoon, scoop the clotted cream off the surface. You may have some watery liquid left in the bottom - this is whey / buttermilk - and can be used for adding to any future scone dough or pancake batter. 

5 – 

Transfer your cream to an air-tight container and keep in the fridge. Use within 1 week.