'Cup of Tea' Tuesdays

This twiggy tea plate has two tiers and combines pretty china with a touch of the outdoors. The best part is, Toot Toot (the sound made by me whilst tooting my own horn), I made it myself with some sticks I found while walking in the Meadows! It is perfect for serving tea to our guests; it satisfies the traditional function of a tiered serving plate while reflecting our personal style and creating conversation.
If you are feeling like your home could use a woodsy touch, you can make this fine tea plate yourself.

This is my twiggy tea plate in action at breakfast this morning! I served up some fresh baked scones with Scottish strawberry jam and clotted cream from Devon, in the south west of the country. This meal would be called a Cream Tea, so you can ask for it by name when you are travelling over here. This is a fail safe recipe from Darina Allen, an Irish traditional chef that I am obsessed with. I found this recipe in her book, my bible, The Forgotten Skills of Cooking a definitive modern guide to traditional cookery skills.

We made only a third of this recipe and still had a feast of scones!

Mummy’s Sweet White Scones

The smell of freshly baked scones coming out of the oven was one of my earliest memories, and then there was the squabbling over the sugar tops with my brothers and sisters!

Makes 18-20 scones using a 72 cm (3inch) cutter

900g (2lb) plain white flour
170g (6oz) butter
3 free range eggs
pinch of salt
55g (2oz) castor sugar
3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
450ml (15floz) approx. milk to mix

Glaze
egg wash (see below)
granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones

First preheat the oven to 250C/475F/gas mark 9.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs with the milk, add to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board. Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about 22cm (1inch) thick and cut or stamp into scones.* Put onto a baking sheet – no need to grease. Brush the tops with egg wash and dip each one in granulated sugar. Bake in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve split in half with home made jam and a blob of whipped cream or just butter and jam.

Egg Wash
Whisk 1 egg with a pinch of salt. This is brushed over the scones and pastry to help them to brown in the oven.

My tip- Don't get your egg was on the sides of the scones or they won't rise as well. Just on top!

A Tuesday introduction into the British tea culture which you will find abroad!

enjoy