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Lia and Juliet's supper club, National Garden Scheme, National Trust, Tea and Scone Week, Tuberous Sclerosis Association
I was asked recently by the charity Tuberous Sclerosis if I would write a blog post to promote their Tea and Scones week which runs from 12th to 18th May. The charity raises funds and awareness into this rare genetic condition which can cause epilepsy, learning disabilities, autism and renal problems. There is currently no cure for the condition and so they hope to raise money for medical research by encouraging people to indulge in a spot of baking. It was only when I came to sit down and write the post that I started to wonder how I could relate scones to gardening. Then I thought about all the gardens I have visited over the years and some of those which stick in the head most are often those where I can remember whether their baking was up to scratch too. I don’t know what that says about me, that I’m a little obsessed by food perhaps, or that I’ll forgive any gardening fashion faux pas if you’ve sated my appetite with something sweet.
Whether it’s a National Trust garden, a lavishly designed private space or somewhere on a more modest scale the gardening year wouldn’t be quite the same without a visit to one or more of these for inspiration. A sunny afternoon spent noseying around someone else’s garden revelling in their peonies or questioning their taste in garden ornaments is as quintessentially British as it gets. But the day isn’t truly complete unless there’s the opportunity at some point for tea and cake.
For any garden which opens to the public the refreshments on offer are a vital source of extra income whether it’s to raise revenue to maintain the garden or in the case of the NGS to make more money for charity. The National Gardens Scheme have facilitated the public access to thousands of gardens across Britain since it started in 1927. Not only does it give gardeners the opportunity to show off their creations it’s also the chance to taste some pretty impressive baking. This is not the time to turn up with some shop bought Mr Kipling’s.
I am partial to a slice of traditional Victoria sponge or the zesty hit of a lemon drizzle but I’m not sure you can beat the classic cream tea. A scone, some jam and a dollop of clotted cream is a simple but winning combination. Yet this simplicity belies the controversy which surrounds the humble scone. How you pronounce ‘scone’ for a start will reveal where you grew up. Say ‘scone’ so it rhymes with ‘gone’ and you’re most likely a northerner; pronounce it so it rhymes with ‘cone’ and you’re from the south. Where the demarcation line between the two is I don’t know; it would be interesting to find out though. Is there a town somewhere in Nottinghamshire or Bedfordshire where north becomes south? So often in Britain the simple pronunciation of a word can mark you out immediately as an outsider. We once lived in a suburb of Guildford called Burpham. To us, until we had been shown the error of our ways by the estate agent, it was ‘Burp – ham’, turns out the locals referred to it as ‘Burfam’. Now I live in Wales and there’s a long list of places I wouldn’t even know where to start when it comes to pronunciation. I wonder if other languages have this too?
Getting back to the scones, there is also the whole ‘which goes on first’ debate as to whether you smear your scone with jam first or the cream. For something that only consists of three ingredients it’s remarkable and some might say very British that it can stir up such a fuss. Much of this is due to the rivalry between Britain’s most south-westerly counties – Cornwall and Devon. A Cornish cream tea places the jam on first and a Devon cream tea is vice versa. I’m sure my late Cornish grandmother would be pleased to know I’m a jam first girl.
It’s easy to think that something like this was dreamt up by some PR person for the tourist board but I know something of the fiercely protected regional differences of the south-west. When members of my family moved, the not particularly great distance of 26 miles, from a small fishing village in Cornwall to the city of Plymouth at the start of the 20th century it was considered a move to a ‘foreign’ country as they had crossed the River Tamar into neighbouring Devon.
Scones are so simple to make, in fact they were the first recipe I was taught in home economics. A bit of self-raising flour, milk, sugar and butter. I prefer a plain scone and I always reduce the amount of sugar suggested in the recipe. In my opinion, the sweetness should come from the jam. I’m happy enough with the addition of a few sultanas but the pleasure of a scone is it’s simplicity. As for recipes, there are plenty to choose from. I tend to use a Mary Berry one but have used Delia and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall too. I’d draw the line at the blueberry, coconut and lime scones I came across the other day. Several steps too far, I think.
Then we come to the jam. A cream tea generally comes with strawberry or raspberry both of which I love, but if I had the choice it would be blackcurrant every time. If you fancy something seasonal to try at your Tea and Scone event next week try this rhubarb and vanilla jam. I tasted it at Lia and Juliet’s Supper Club last year in the middle of some homemade jammy dodgers and it was delicious.
So why not get together with some friends to scoff some scones, chat about plants and raise a bit of money for charity. For more details about Tea and Scone Week visit tuberous-sclerosis.org.uk and if you’d like to share recipes and photos tweet @UKTSA and use #TeaandSCones.
Oh! And I’d love to hear your garden and cake stories. The best and the worst and the sweet treat you can’t resist.
Backlane Notebook said:
i love the idea of raising money for charity through food. In the last six months neighbours have held three breakfasts on a triangle of land to raise money for Syria. They provided excellent coffee and many fantastic homemade cakes. The ones that stood out were Canelés De Bordeaux – French Rum and Vanilla Cakes. They are my new addiction.
wellywoman said:
I agree. What a brilliant idea with those breakfasts and wow, those cakes sound amazing. I think a post on the recipe is needed. 🙂
Scrapiana said:
Sounds like a worthy cause. I hope the week is well supported.
I enjoyed some tea and cake on the Larkhall Festival’s garden trail in Bath at the weekend. I think the cake may have been Mr Kipling’s best, but the tea was good and strong and the garden in question lovely.
Yes, hard to beat a good, simple scone. My scone-baking has never been what it could be, though (like you) they were just about the first thing we made in school domestic science classes. It was not something my American mother made, so I couldn’t learn them by daughterly osmosis. But you’re encouraging me to conquer them this year. Love the sound of that rhubarb jam – will certainly give that a go. Thanks.
While I have your attention, could I ask how best to keep the hollyhocks alive that I bought on impulse at this weekend’s car boot sale? Too much of a bargain to resist a job lot of potted plants, but I’ve never grown them successfully.
wellywoman said:
Sometimes there just isn’t enough time to fit everything in. I love the sound of the garden trail you went on. We went down to Exeter to Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival which was fantastic. A blueberry brownie went down a treat.
As for hollyhocks… well I have never grown them. They like full sun and good drainage. I have mostly seen them grow in the most inhospitable looking places, generally in very little soil at the base of walls. I don’t know if you’ve got a south or west facing wall they could be planted at the base of? Perhaps if you have a few plants try them in a few different locations this year to see which works best. I’d possibly add grit to improve the drainage unless you have quite free draining soil already. I’ve included a link to the RHS on rust which I know is a particular problem. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=564 Hope this helps. :))
If anyone else has any tips it would be lovely if you’d share.
Scrapiana said:
Thank you! I’m putting them on my allotment and so they should get their full quota of sun. Will look out for the rust.
Joanna said:
When a young child I once spent an idle afternoon breaking open hollyhock seed pods and scattering them around my long-suffering mother’s garden. It took her years to get rid of the wretched things, which kept popping up all over the place summer after summer with no encouragement whatsoever.
I was quite surprised to hear that others find them troublesome to grow!
Danielle Gray said:
Nothing better than scones, jam and cream plus tea. However the scones have to be hot, the (pref raspberry) jam on first (must be home made) and the cream thickened and on second.
I’m a terrible scone maker (in fact I am a rubbish cook full stop) but I’ve had a little success with using lemonade in the recipe (instead of milk) to fluff them out a bit.
Here in Tasmania we call scones, jam and cream served with tea “Devonshire Tea” and it’s usually served for morning or afternoon tea.
We grow lots of hollyhocks, we have rich clay soil and they grow well as long as they’re out of the full blast of wind (up against a sunny sheltered wall). I have found they grow better in the more well drained, hotter and drier areas of the garden. In the wetter areas with richer soil, they seem more stunted and far fewer flowers. I usually pick off rust infected leaves as soon as I notice it and bag them up and bin them (not compost).
Scrapiana said:
Thank you, Danielle! We have rich, clay soil too, and I can improve the drainage. I don’t have a warm wall to grow them against, but will try to find them a relatively sheltered spot. Thanks for the rust tips. Will see how I get on.
wellywoman said:
Amazing to think the cream tea is available in Tasmania. 🙂 Not sure my Cornish ancestors would be chuffed to hear it is referred to as a ‘Devonshire tea’ though. ;0 I love hollyhocks but have never tried to grow them. I’ve run out of space in this garden for any more plants but would love to squeeze them in my next garden. They really are the classic cottage garden plant.
Scrapiana said:
Just planted them yesterday on my lottie just where my thrifty bird-seed sunflowers grew so majestically last year. One of my plot neighbours assured me that they won’t even need support (!) as hers manage without. We shall see! Will report back… Thanks again. 🙂
wellywoman said:
I look forward to hearing how they get on. 🙂 I’d be ready with some canes though. It would be a pity to lose them in a summer downpour. The number of times I haven’t staked and have regretted it.
Sofia // Papaya Pieces said:
It sounds like a great cause. I have a close family member with epilepsy (though not due to tuberose sclerosis), so I think you’re into a magnificent cause for making a blog post 🙂 Guess what, I’ve never made scones before and Mr. H. reminds me once in a while that I must try making them – because he wants to eat them of course! xx
wellywoman said:
Thank you, Sofia. I think you should definitely make some scones, especially if Mr H mentions it. Do you have foods or recipes in Spain that have slight differences from region to region? I find the social history of food and recipes fascinating. Lou x
Sofia // Papaya Pieces said:
I should! Actually in Spain each region has it’s own stew and they are very precise as to which legume and which meats or hams or chorizos and which vegetables to put into it, and that is how it must be. So for example one of the famous ones is the fabada asturiana from the region of Asturias. A few months ago I posted a fabada asturiana in my blog with the addition of adding the typically meatball put into the stews in Barcelona… I caused quite a reaction from the Spanish people reading the blog because they said the meatball really looked weird in THAT stew! 🙂 x
thelonggardenpath said:
It does seem to be the case that garden visiting (even garden centre visiting) is not complete without tea and cake, so your credibility is still well intact! I’m afraid I’m no baker, though as a child growing up in Scotland, I was a dab hand at making “cober” (gingerbread) cakes and I have been known to make a mean banana loaf. Likes? We are all partial to Millionaire or caramel shortbread. And I have fond memories of a wonderful cream tea in a garden in Suffolk. Oh! And I don’t have a preference to what’s first – It’s yummy either way! I wish the TSC luck with their “tea and scones” week.
wellywoman said:
Hi Ali, Love the sound of those cober cakes.I’ve only made a banana loaf once, when I was at school. I forgot to put in the raising agent so it came out of the oven as flat as when it went in. ;0
pianolearner said:
Tasty scones, and a great cause 🙂
Flighty said:
A most enjoyable post in support of a good cause. xx
wellywoman said:
Thanks Flighty. x
Cathy said:
Lots of interesting information exchange here, WW, and I shall definitely look into the rhubarb jam. For my twopennyworth, I would always have butter on before jam, then cream – and I never put any sugar in my scones but I do add currants…
wellywoman said:
It’s fascinating to hear the variations on scone eating. 🙂
Christina said:
I was lucky enough to enjoy tea and stones with homemde jam and cream in Choris’s garden last week – just delightful. you’re also right about remembering gardens with the best teas! Kiftsgate jumps into my mind where the tea was in a beautiful silver teapot and the china was a delight, the scones were pretty good too!
wellywoman said:
I have never been to Kiftsgate. Maybe I’ll remedy that this year. 🙂
Jo said:
A very worthy cause. I’m from Yorkshire and we’ve always called them scones as in cones in my family. Jam first for me too, oh, and it has to be strawberry.
Janet/Plantaliscious said:
Aren’t we a bizarre lot with our scone fetishes! I am definitely a jam before cream girl, but I actually prefer savoury scones. I am a particular fan of cheesy garlic scones. Plas Newydd does quite a good scone, not at all like those strange plastic imitations they sell at motorway service stations. Your cause sounds a excellent one, I hope your post nets them some of the much-needed extra funds.
Caro said:
I chuckled at Jo’s comment because I’m a southerner who’s always said scone to rhyme with on! And having spent a big chunk of my childhood in deepest Cornwall (Lizard peninsular, we lived in the Marconi cottages!) my family always puts the jam on first – bit bizarre to do it any other way really, imho!! 🙂 Cake is always a good topic for a gardener and the Victoria sponge gets my vote; I’ve recently acquired a few scented leaf pelargoniums and have read that putting the leaves in the base of a buttered cake tin before the mix goes in will scent the cake. The lemon scented cultivars (I have Mabel Grey) will add a whole new dimension to your lemon drizzle cake! Or how about an Attar of Roses scented sponge with rose petal jam? On the other hand I might just stick with my current fave, a flourless chocolate hazelnut cake. Yummy with a dollop of cream! So much cake, so little time!
David Marsden said:
I’m rather saddened that it isn’t Burp-ham. And as to other people’s garden ornaments – well, what a rich source of amusement, bewilderment, very occasionally envy, often outright horror they are. D
countrygate said:
Cake and gardening? You know how to spoil us although i am on a (cake free) diet at the moment.Can I recommend lavender scones with homemade lemon curd as a quirky alternative? http://countrygate.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/a-postcard-from-petworth-lavender-scones/ Who knows? If I am a very good girl I may get to eat them by the end of the summer. 🙂
easygardener said:
I think part of the pleasure of visiting a garden, then eating a scone while sipping a hot drink comes from the novelty of enjoying the view without having to get up to remove a weed. It is the perfect way to relax, knowing someone else will be doing the work.
Joanna said:
My family’s from Derbyshire and always rhymes scones with cones, and I got teased about this at schools further south in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire where the girls said scon. These days I just alter what I say depending on who I’m with! Recently moved to Scotland, where Scone Castle is pronounced Scoon.
For me it’s cream first, then jam, always strawberry, and there must be sultanas.