Afternoon Tea

I was recently asked by my friend to bake a cake for an afternoon tea service at a charity event. I opted to whip up a few batches of scones. I'd wanted to find the best recipe for a while so this was the perfect opportunity.

The Team Townend Puskbike Challenge 2011 took place in the beautiful Cumbrian location of Loweswater. The event was organised in the memory of Christian and Niggy Townend who were tragically killed whilst cycling at the end of last year. All proceeds of the event went to Road Peace, a  national charity for road crash victims - supporting those bereaved or injured and working for safety.

My starting point was a Felicity Cloake article on the Guardian website on how to make the perfect scone. The article evaluates a variety of different recipes from a collection of culinary heavyweights.

Having digested Felicity's feedback I decided to give the National Trust and Rachel Allen recipe a whirl. I was baking eight dozen for the event so it was well worth ensuring they tasted as good as they could before embarking upon my bakeathon. Both of these recipes were identified as stand-out examples with Rachel Allen's recipe being described as the most "decadent". Unsurprisingly this appealed to me the most.

On following both of the recipes to the letter the National Trust recipe was closer to my personal idea of the perfect scone. It's texture was extremely light, short and crumbly thanks mainly to the lard I suspect. There's no sugar in this recipe but my tooth is of the savoury persuasion so this added to the appeal. Fresh from the oven liberally spread with unsalted butter and seeded raspberry jam this recipe is a real winner. The two (or potentially more) that I ate directly from the cooling rack were a pure delight and bore little resemblance to the grainy pucks of sugar that supermarkets tout as scones.

The Rachel Allen scones were really good too and had noticeably taller profile than the National Trust batch. The use of two raising agents (Bicarbonate of Soda and Cream of Tartar) were surely responsible for this in-oven expansion? Visually they were more impressive with a pale yellow colour once torn open. The flavour was also richer with a more cake-like mouth feel. I  decided to include the optional glaze which consisted of brushing with buttermilk and dipping in caster sugar. This produced a lovely golden sugar crust and added a textural dimension (particularly when fresh from the oven).

I popped both of my test batches in airtight containers and left overnight. It wouldn't be practical to bake the scones on site therefore it was essential to see how they would stand the test of time once baked.

The next day the Rachel Allen scones were considerably fresher and more palatable than their National Trust cousins. Both examples were still head and shoulders above of any shop-bought specimens but had noticeably degraded becoming drier in texture - nothing that a generous topping of butter and jam couldn't remedy though. I would however recommend that scones are best consumed on the day of baking. Using either of these recipes will guarantee that they won't see the day through without being wolfed down by friends and family.

My decision was made - Rachel Allen's recipe was the most suitable for this occasion. The recipe had produced scones with an impressive richness and the ability to stay fresher for longer...

After an early morning baking session accompanied by Prince and BBC Radio Five Live's build-up of the Royal Wedding I had around 100 mini scones (3" cutter) cooling on wire racks every surface of my kitchen. Feeling satisfied at their homecooked inperfections I packed them up into a collection of Tupperware boxes.

A spectacularly scenic car journey to Loweswater later and it was time to pitch the tent in the obligatory wind tunnel and to bask in the late afternoon sun.

Dinner was in the beer garden of the Kirkstile Inn which was enjoying a steady trade thanks to it being a bank holiday and their deserved reputation for serving local ales and excellent food. Their steak and ale pie was one of the best I've had in a long while. A generous (and I do mean generous) slab of shortcrust pie was stuffed with stewed steak, bathed in a rich gravy and served with crunchy and fluffy chips. The vegetable accompaniments were served hot and al dente which, considering how busy they were, was a real achievement. The food was honestly priced too - in and around the eight pound mark made this great value for money.

Following dinner and a few pints of local ale it was time to retire to the tent. I was ready for a good sleep (having been up since 04:00 baking) but sadly the wind had other ideas. After a few hours of watching Alan Partridge on my iPhone it was time to wake up (probably half an hour after I'd eventually fallen asleep). On leaving the tent the natural beauty of the Cumbrian countryside and a hint of morning sun lifted my spirits.

I spent the morning assisting my good friend Kate from Transition Espresso serving lovely lattes and quality cappuccinos to the c200 cyclists and crowd of supporters and sponsors. Transition Espresso specialise in serving "The Best Coffee Anywhere" and this certainly was one of the most beautiful locations to enjoy my morning Flat White. The coffee went down a storm and resulted in an extremely generous donation from Transition to the Road Peace cause.

Kate also lent a much appreciated hand in skillfully filling the scones with lashings of unsalted butter and strawberry jam. Next up was to adorn them with a piped crown of double cream and then to bejewel them with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. We placed them in individual bun cases, arranged them on trays lined with pink gingham tissue paper and added them to the trestle tables that were loaded with a delightful array of baked goodies and savoury treats.

Nothing but praise was received for the scones and they were particularly popular with the children present who were obviously attracted by their colourful profile, sugar content and potential to cause mess.

Following another shift as a trainee barista it was time to enjoy a few pints of Loweswater Gold (hoppy golden ale with pineapple and apricot notes) in the afternoon sun.

It was a fantastic weekend all round and was heartwarming to see everyone's efforts for an extremely worthy cause. I loved baking the scones (really quite therapeutic) and it was a pleasure to be involved.

I plan on adapting the National Trust scone recipe to include savoury elements. I'm thinking Pancetta, Red Onion & Cheddar or Parmesan & Sun Blushed Tomato.

I'll let you know how I get on.