British Isles

July 31, 2018

My husband and I are just back from a two-week trip that took us to London for three days on our own, and a 9-day CIE bus tour of Scotland and Ireland. I had always heard that the food in that part of the country was nothing special, but I beg to differ. As we had those in our group who are of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry, we tried to eat as many authentic dishes as possible. Now that I’m home, I’m busy trying to re-create some of our favorites in my own kitchen.

Today, we’ll talk about scones, cousin to our Southern biscuit. They were served every day for breakfast, along with scrambled eggs, coddled eggs (a cross between boiled and poached), porridge (a heartier version of our oatmeal), sausages, bacon rashers (like thin pieces of salty ham), whole cooked mushrooms, halved tomatoes that are browned, baked beans (yes, for breakfast!), and black pudding, sausage made with blood, breadcrumbs and oatmeal, served like our sausage patties.

In addition to stunning scenery, one of the many trip highlights was tea and scones served at a working farmhouse in the midlands of Ireland, followed by a sheep dog demonstration. I’ve developed this scone recipe to remind me of that pleasant morning at the Dualla House in Tipperary.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the eggs and milk. Add all at once to flour mixture, then use a large spatula to thoroughly mix the liquid into the dry ingredients.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a time or two. Pat out into a rectangle about ½-inch thick. Cut into rectangles and place onto the parchment paper.

Brush the tops with egg wash.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until browned, turning once so that browning takes place on both sides.

Makes 8 large scones.

Note: You may add raisins or other dried fruit to batter once it is rolled out. Sprinkle fruit evenly over the top, then double over the batter and press into a rectangle again to cover fruit.