What a day we had in London today! Spring is on its way and it was the perfect day to sit in the garden for some or run a marathon for others… To mentally support the marathon runners I decided to bake scones! Scones were and still are one of the best british specialities I discovered when I moved to the UK. By making my own scones I also discovered buttermilk and self-raising flour which we don’t find in France or other European countries as easily as here. Scones should not be too dry, they should be well risen, light and fluffy inside, and my favourite part is when you can split them in two with your hands when just baked to release their amazing buttery smell. I really struggled at the beginning to create good scones and improving the recipes was hard when you are not familiar with British bakes. This recipe is adapted from Delia and everyone always compliment me on these scones!

The best tips I can give are:

-Do not roll the dough too thin, always keep thicker than 2cm.

-use a cutter to cut your scones, or cut them in square with a knife: you need that sharp edge.

Ingredients for 8 scones:

• 225g self raising flour
• 75g butter
• 40g caster sugar
• 1 large egg (another egg for brushing the scones)
• 2 tbsp buttermilk (can be replaced with yogurt)

Crank up your oven to 220C. Mix the flour and butter with your hands to create crumbs, then add the sugar and mix well. In a little separate bowl, beat the egg and the buttermilk together. Add the wet mixture to the dry and combine together with a wooden spoon. Finish with your hands to achieve a soft dough but not too dry. Do not over-knead the dough and roll it a thick layer, not less than 2cm thick otherwise the scones won’t rise properly. Use a cutter to cut your scones to create sharp edges that will help your scones to rise evenly and upwards. Place the cut scones on a tray lined with baking sheet. Brush lightly the scones with a beaten egg and bake for 9 minutes until well risen with a golden top.

Eat slightly warm with raspberry or strawberry jam and clotted cream! If you have some left over clotted cream you can freeze it for the next time, same with the buttermilk. Enjoy!