A cream tea hamper

Annobel Scones turn out fine without eggs but recipes are modified all the time. Adding an egg can improve the texture but not everyone will agree. I'm a bit lavish with eggs because we keep chickens.

I thought you needed cold hands to make pastry?

I can't bake scones, or anything else. You all must have cold hands (and therefore warm hearts) - what does that say about me?

Had a dispute with my mum about putting eggs in scones. I did, she didn't and said her expert friends in the WI didn't either. Imagine my astonishment when MiL said that she thought I was the expert!

Shopping tomorrow arthritis permitting!

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

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

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.

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

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.

Oh! I have sour cream in!

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

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.

Thanks. Only ever have French, propper butter!

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.

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

Is 210c fan or normal?

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.

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

Thanks! Will try!

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.

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

jeni honestly for someone who weighed in only this morning!

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?

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..