A cream tea hamper

tanith you could always put the hamper together yourself and send it. If I go in my local garden centre or farm shop, I could probably lay my hands on those items, if not at the supermarket, and you could pack them to your satisfaction in the afternoon and get them down to the post office before five, for them to get to your son within 24 or 36 hours?

Most things like clotted cream are sealed well, and do seem to do ok in the post. Good luck!

oh my why didn't I think of that I could even make the scones myself ... thankyou whemim64 I feel really silly now...

You have to send it international special signed for and declare the contents, but the post office advises that perishable food needs to be received within five days and they don't guarantee delivery in time to protect themselves. I suppose army families will be the most experienced at this. Good luck x

You need to check that wherever he lives they will allow him to import what youa re sending.

Its Gibralter so I'm hoping it will be ok I managed to find a company that say its possible to do overseas deliveries I'm waiting for them to answer my e-mail. thanks everyone..

Talking about cream teas has made me fancy one. I have never made scones, does anyone have an idiot proof recipe for someone whose rock cakes cracked a terrazzo floor when dropped?

jeni honestly for someone who weighed in only this morning!

So? I won't have anything else (apart from my usual medication )

225g SR Flour
2 tspn baking powder
50g hard margarine
40g sugar (optional)
3 tbspns milk or 2 tbspns natural yoghurt
1 egg
50g dried fruit (optional)

Rub fat into flour and baking powder (should resemble breadcrumbs)
Stir in sugar.
Stir in dried fruit.
Add milk or yoghurt and beaten egg. Don't add all of it if the mixture appears wet.
Form into a dough - don't overhandle.
Roll out - at least 2.5 cm thick. Stamp out with a cutter.
Brush the tops with milk or a beaten egg.
Place on baking tray. Bake at 210C for 12-15 mins.

A simple recipe is:

200g SR Flour + 1 tspn baking powder
50g hard margarine
30g sugar (optional)
30g dried fruit
125 ml milk

Method as above. You can use milk that has slightly 'turned' or add a couple of drops of lemon juice to sour it.

Thanks! Will try!

Does it have to be marg, or can I use butter?

I fancied some on Sunday out of the blue (must be the wet weather).Followed Delia's recipe and they were awful- dry and hard.

Is 210c fan or normal?

Butter's fine, jeni so long as it's a block and not soft spready stuff.

210C fan or normal, jeni You might want to check them after 10 mins if it's a fan oven. They should be well risen and golden brown on top.

Thanks. Only ever have French, propper butter!

I've found that if I use sour cream instead of milk to mix the dough, the scones rise better. I have some old recipes that all use buttermilk but that isn't readily available now.

merlot Do you think soft spready marge made mine go wrong? I don't bake very often.....mainly because I'd eat it all.

Oh! I have sour cream in!

There ya go, then! Mind you, I've only ever used cream that has gone sour, not cream that has been soured, if you see wot I mean.

Sainsburys sell butter milk and probably Waitrose - I made some for family for Jubilee tea delicious!!! loads of cream and jam

I think so, Grannylin The spready marge would not have enough body for a crumbly mix. Spready marge is fine for cakes though so long as it's not low fat. Scones are quite healthy (compared to a lot of baked products) because they have a low ratio: fat to flour.

Buttermilk tends to add a lightness to scones that milk doesn't. Natural yoghurt is a good substitute though.

Scones are the only baking thing that I make well, and have never used either baking powder or butter milk or gone off milk!