Earl Grey Scones

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The scone is a humble piece of work. It ranks somewhere between bread and a cupcake in my estimation and my favourite is warm sultana with a good blob of strawberry jam. I worked in Causey Farm www.causey.ie  for three years and every day we served up fresh homemade scones, cream and jam to those coming from the farm. Never in all that time did I get sick of the smell of delicious scones baking nor could I resist one with a cup of tea. Some days the kitchen would literally make hundreds of scones - those ladies were professionals at rolling, kneading and cutting. Craving that lovely homely smell this morning I decided to make scones myself- but couldn't resist 'sexy-ing' them up a little bit! Next stop- Earl Grey Ice Cream!!

Recipe by Tim Anderson, http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/earl_grey_scones_with_74887

275g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
100g caster sugar
2 free range eggs, lightly beaten
60ml buttermilk
32g loose earl grey leaves (see note below)

Sift the flour into a bowl and add the pinch of salt. Add the cold butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. I did this part with a food processor as it is faster and also keeps the butter cold, your fingers can melt the butter if you don't work fast. Add the caster sugar and loose leaves. Mix thoroughly.

Beat the eggs lightly and add the buttermilk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet mix. Mix until a ball is formed.

Turn out on a floured surface and knead until smooth for about 2-3 minutes. There should be no cracks in the surface of the dough. Roll out to a thickness of 2cm/1 inch. Cut out scones with a 5cm cutter and space the scones out on a baking tray. Alternatively you could make balls and shape with your hands although you won't get such a nice finish. Brush the scones with milk to glaze.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown at 220o C. Turn after 10 minutes to ensure the scones are evenly golden.

Serve with jam, cream or butter and marmalade. Tim Anderson recommends serving with Amaretto clotted cream and blueberry jam.