Friday, 20 March 2020

Scones in the Time of Coronavirus

'The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley'. So said Robert Burns. And it's true, my schemes have indeed ganged agley. Although I'm not sure if Rabbie was referring specifically to a global pandemic.

Anyway. Back in January, I made my list of the final 30 properties that I needed to visit to complete the National Trust Scone Odyssey. Several people said "you'll never do it by December" and I said "yes I will" because I am a bit naive and over-optimistic. But surely even the world's biggest pessimist didn't foresee the coronavirus. And now, like everyone else, I wait to see when we might be allowed out again.

But the Scone Blogger's motto is 'NEVER MIND'. If I can't share pictures of National Trust scones on National Trust Scone Twitter, I will share pictures of your home bakes instead. Thanks to everyone that has sent in photos so far:

July 3: Sconepal Fiona creates Chocolate Orange Scone glory:

Chocolate orange scones

July 3: Sconepal Linda goes for a fruit bonanza with these Blueberry Scones:

Blueberry Scones

June 28: Sconepal Ole of the Canine Division FINALLY gets his ice-cream! And he doesn't forget the rest of us - Cherry and Almond Scones for his dad's birthday:

Cherry Almond Scones

June 27: Sconepal MoleyFrankland present cheese scones with a sci-fi theme:

Cheese scones National Trust

June 26: Sconepal Emily and the mini scone crew take scones to Lacock on National Cream Tea Day:


June 26: Sconepal Mike delivers the goods on National Cream Tea Day:

National Cream Tea Day Scones

June 26: Sconepal Helen takes her portable cream tea to Upton House:

Portable cream tea

June 26: Sconepal Marilyn presents the Cheese and Garlic scones:

Cheese and Garlic Scones

June 25: Sconepal Matt and team present THE PIZZA SCONE:

Pizza Scones

June 24: Sconepal Linda found some huge frozen blueberries for Blueberry Scones:

Blueberry scones

June 24: Sconepal Fiona turns a surfeit of strawberries into Strawberry Scones:

Strawberry Scones

June 22: Sconepal Dot branches out with the cherry-filled Ulster Scone:

Ulster scones

June 21: Sconepal Ann's Sconehenge masterpiece comes with warning lights:

Sconehenge

June 21: Sconepal Caro brightens the day with this excellent Sconehenge:

Sconehenge

June 21: Sconepal Ole cannot hide his disappointment here - he asked for an Icecreamhenge for the Solstice and he got...Blue Cheese and Fig Scones: 

Blue cheese and fig scones

June 21: Sconepal Melissa creates Sconestice scone beauty with these Blueberry delights:

Blueberry scones

June 21: Sconepal Dawn presents Ploughman's Scones for Father's Day:

Ploughman Scone

June 21: Sconepal CSM76 improvises on her Cherry and Vanilla scone to great effect:

Vanilla Cherry Scones

June 20: Prepare yourself for a shock, everyone; this is not actually Stonehenge. It's Sconehenge. Made from scones on the Sconestice.

Sconehenge

June 20: Sconepals Hannah and Lucy share their Chocolate Scone glory:

Chocolate scones

June 20: More family scone fun with these Cherry Scones:

Cherry Scones

June 20: Sconepal Eleanor wows us with some Cheese Scones for the Sconestice:

Cheese scones

June 19: Sconepal Dot experiments with buttermilk and is impressed:

Buttermilk scones

June 19: Sconepal Abby uses the Book of Scones as text book to great effect!

Fruit scone

June 18: Sconepal Catherine bakes up some Christmas Pudding Scone wonders to take to Oxburgh Hall:

Christmas pudding scones

June 16: Sconepal Hattie recreates the Mottisfont cream tea experience:

Cream tea pandemic

June 16: Sconepal Lu shows genius here - Cheese, Onion, and Bacon Breakfast Scones with excellent peacocks to recreate that stately home visit experience: 

Scones and peacocks


June 15: Sconepal Ole demonstrates his astonishing array of talents: DIY as well as scone-making. Good man, Ole:

Cherry Almond Scones

June 15: Sconepal Matt serves up sunny Cheese Scones from a lockdown food tech lesson:

Cheese scones food tech

June 15: Sconepal Jules is full of praise for the scone tip of folding the dough to create the 'mouth':



June 14: Sconepal Amy wows us with these stunning Cheese, Bacon, and Onion scones:

Cheese onion and bacon scones


June 14: Sconepal Sarah presents her retrospective of ELEVEN different lockdown scones bakes as she returns to rangering after furlough:



June 14: Sconepal Mandy plumps for th Rhubarb and Ginger family favourite:

Rhubarb and Ginger Scone

June 14: Sconepal Ali cheers us all up with Raspberry & White Chocolate Scones for a socially distanced afternoon tea:

Raspberry White Chocolate Scone

June 14: Sconepal Jane wows us with a world-first of Lemon and Elderflower Scones:

Lemon Elderflower Scones

June 14: Sconepal Helen says scones aren't her forte but these look fab:

fruit scones

June 13: Sconepal Jo goes into unchartered, though very welcome, territory with Banana and Walnut Scones:

Banana-walnut-scones

June 13: Sconepal Janice produces probably the best Triple Chocolate Scones that we've ever seen. Wonderful work here:


June 13: Sconepal Dawn bakes up some gorgeous Red Pepper, Onion, and Cheese delights:

Red pepper, cheese, onion scones

June 11: Sconepal Cambria presents her Vegan Cheese Scones:

Vegan cheese scones

June 11: Sconepal Rachel doubles up with some lovely Cheese AND Plain Scones:

cheese scones

June 11: Sconepal Fiona presents the Raspberry & White Chocolate Scone:

Raspberry and White Chocolate

June 11: Sconepal Obsessed nails it with Chocolate and Hazelnut Scones:

Chocolate and Hazelnut Scones

June 11: Sconepal Dot bakes some Fruit Scones but also invents the Bird Scone:

Bird scone

June 11: Sconepal Emily and her little sous-chefs produce these tasty Cherry and Vanilla delights:


June 11: Sconepal Mary creates summer on a plate with her Rhubarb Scones:

Rhubarb Scone

June 10: Sconepal Milly serves up Cherry and Vanilla scones:


June 10: Sconepal Helen prepares a fine Fruit Scone with clotted cream and jam:

Fruit scone

June 10: Sconepal Booktasty wows us with Cheese Scones galore:


June 10: Sconepal Sarah continues the innovation with Rhubarb and Strawberry Scone:

Rhubarb and Strawberry Scone

June 8: Sconepal Fiona serves up one of the all-time greatest scones - the Chocolate Orange Scone:

Chocolate Orange Scone

June 8: Sconepal Helen amazes us all with Christmas Pudding Scones:

Christmas Pudding Scone

June 8: Sconepal Mr Quacks takes Cheese and Herb Scones to Ickworth:

Cheese Herb Scones


June 7: Sconepa Lisa presents beautiful Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones:

Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones

June 7: Sconepal Oliver has gone for Cheese and Herb Scones:

Cheese and Herb scones

June 7: Sconepal Abby is lucky enough to have Cherry and Almond Scones for breakfast from her mum. What could be better:

Cherry and Almond Scones

June 6: Sconepal Mammoth serves up Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones:

Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones

June 6: Sconepal Mandy takes fruit scones to Dunwich Heath:

Fruit scones lockdown

June 6: Sconepal Emma bakes up a batch of Cheese, Onion, and Bacon Scones:

Cheese Bacon Onion Scones

June 6: Sconepal Dawn wows the crowd with Cheese, Onion, and Bacon Breakfast Scones:

Breakfast scones

June 6: Sconepal Karen joins the pantheon of uber-Sconepals in attempting the Stollen Scones. Bellisimo:

Stollen scones


June 5: I had to do it. I had to actually try the new M&S Strawberry Clotted Cream. My verdict: it might look like melted Percy Pigs but it is absolutely delicious on scones. I know.

Strawberry Clotted Cream review

June 5: Sconepal Sarah is worried that White Chocolate and Raspberry isn't Lake District-y enough but we say; never mind, they look delicious:

White chocolate and raspberry scones

June 5: Sconepal Andy bakes up some golden scones for a golden wedding:

Fruit scones lockdown

June 5: Sconepal Linda presents her Blueberry Scones:

Blueberry Scones

June 4: Sconepal Fiona is on a roll with her scones during lockdown - here's the Blueberry and Lemon:

Blueberry and Lemon

June 3: Sconepal Emily delivers the cutest picture of the lockdown - one mini Sconepal casting a particularly expert eye over the scones here:

babies and scones

June 3: Sconepal Maria suffuses the world with the world's loveliest aroma - freshly baked Chocolate Orange Scones:

chocolate orange scones

June 2: Sconepal Sarah takes on a challenge to turn dried mango into something special - voila the Mango and Raspberry Scone:

Mango Raspberry Scone

June 2: Sconepal Lynne goes for a Lemon Scone with lemon zest and lemon icing:


June 1: Sconepal Charlotte follows up on her earlier triumph with some Cheese and Chilli Scones:

Cheese-Chilli-Scones

June 1: Sconepal Lu prepares Apple and Cinnamon Scones for a catch-up with her nan after 12 weeks apart:

Scones for Nan

June 1: Sconepal Charlotte kicks June off with Cheese and Mustard Scones:

Cheese and Mustard Scones

May 31: Sconepal Fussy wows us with this lovely display to celebrate the virtual 125th birthday party of the National Trust:

National Trust Virtual Tea Party

May 31: Sconepal Janice celebrates the National Trust birthday in style:

National Trust Birthday Scones

May 31: Sconepal Anita serves up beautiful scones ready for Prince Charles' National Trust birthday party address: 

Virtual Afternoon Tea

May 31: Sconepal Ole is a very happy dog. His parents watched Prince Charles wish the National Trust a happy birthday with Zesty Lemon and Ploughmans Scones, while he got ice cream. Ole that is. We don't know if Prince Charles got ice cream.

Ploughmans scones

May 31: Sconepal Sarah in self-professed 'bold move' with Lime & Mango Scones (and also Apple & Mango if that wasn't bold enough):

Lime and Mango scones

May 31: Sconepal Matt conjures up a sunny scene with Cheese & (homegrown) Herb Scones served al fresco:

Cheese and Herb scones

May 31: Sconepal Hattie doesn't look too convinced about this shop-bought scone but bravo for making the effort:


May 31: Sconepal Fiona perfects the Chocolate & Orange scone ready for the National Trust Virtual Tea Party:

Chocolate and Orange scones

May 31: Sconepal Jillian serves up Cheese AND Plain Scone gorgeousness:

Plain scones

May 31: Sconepal Catherine makes Sconepal Ziggy (Canine Division) happy with these Earl Grey beauties:


May 30: The Scone Blogger has an early afternoon tea for the National Trust Virtual Birthday Party:

Virtual Birthday Party Afternoon Tea


May 30: Sconepal Jo cheers everbody up with this birthday bonanza of Rhubarb and Custard scones:


May 30: Sconepal Sue tries some gluten-free scones:


May 30: Sconepal Karen ups the fruit quotient with some jammy Fruit Scones:

Fruitscones


May 30: Sconepal Hampshire presents vegan scones:


May 29: Sconepal Sarah presents Apple & Cinnamon Scones:

Apple and Cinnamon Scones

May 27: Sconepal Mary delights us with Ginger and Treacle Scones:

Ginger and Treacle scones

May 29: Sconepal Mike sends in their Apple & Cinnamon delights:


May 26: Sconepal James impresses us with a range of golden Cheese and Chive scones:

Cheese and Chive Scone

May 26: Sconepal Jo worries that her Stollen Scones are 'slightly' out of season. The Stollen Scone is never out of season, Jo, especially not during a global crisis.


Stollen scone

May 25: Sconepal Ole (Canine Division) admits that he *may* have licked one of these Fruit Scones, which is probably why he looks so pleased with himself:


Dog with scones

May 25: Sconepal Lucy presents another beautiful Lockdown Bank Holiday afternoon tea:
Lockdown Afternoon Tea

May 25: Sconepal Janice serves up gorgeous afternoon tea delights on Lockdown Bank Holiday:
Bank Holiday Cream Tea

May 25: Sconepal Teresa opts for a fruit scone delight:



May 25: Sconepal Neil finally finds some self-raising flour and a soft focus lens for his scone shot:


Jam Scones

May 25: Sconepal Barbara kicks off Lockdown Bank Holiday with these Cheese Scone beauties:


Cheese Scones

May 24: The Scone Blogger's mother joins the fun with these very elegantly served scones. Not sure she's got enough jam but I'm sure she'll cope: 



May 24: Sconepal Ali hits her TENTH lockdown bake with the Pear, Walnut and Goat's Cheese Scone:


Pear, Walnut, Goats Cheese Scones

May 24: Sconepal Jane with some stunning Goat's Cheese and Chive Scones:


Goat's Cheese Chive Scones

May 24: Sconepal Catherine bakes up some beautiful Apple and Cinnamon Scones:


Apple and Cinnamon Scones

May 24: Sconepal Fiona continues her lockdown scone baking frenzy with these gorgeous Pear, Walnut, and Goat's Cheese Scones:


Pear, Goat's Cheese, Walnut Scones

May 24: Sconepal Alison shares her beautifully crafted Stilton and Hazelnut Scones:


Stilton-Hazelnut-Scones

May 23: Sconepal Liz shows lovely plate choices as well as scone options:


Fruit Scones Lockdown

May 23: Sconepal Dot crafts some stunning Raspberry & Chocolate Scones:


Raspberry-Chocolate-Scones

May 23: Sconepal Melissa freshens things up with Raspberry & Lemon Curd Scones:

Raspberry and Lemon Curd Scones

May 23: Sconepal Fiona casually throws this picture into the fray - a STUNNING array of scones! Cheese, Fruit, Apricot & Ginger, Fresh Herb, Pineapple, Rhubarb & Ginger, and Apple & Blackberry! Astonishing work!

8 types of scone

May 23: Sconepal Linda was a bit disappointed with these, as she thinks they look more like rock cakes? We say: rock on. Ha ha!


Rock Cake Scones

May 22: Sconepal Helen worries that these Lemon Scones are 'not dainty'. But who needs dainty during a global pandemic? They look marvellous:


May 22: Sconepal Fiona bakes up some Apple and Blackberry Scone goodness for us all:

Apple and Blackberry Scones

May 21: Sconepal Lu astonishes everyone with the Horseradish Scone...served with beef:

Horseradish scone

May 20: Sconepal Jo stuns us all into silence with these beautiful Blueberry & Honey scones:

Blueberry-Honey-Scones

May 20: Sconepal Mole gets an enthusiastic round of applause for their first lockdown scone bake:
Mole Scones

May 20: Sconepal Angela is shielding - and let's face it, what virus stands a chance against such a beautiful afternoon tea?
Lockdown Scone

May 20: Sconepal Mammoth embarks on a late-night bake of Triple Chocolate Scones:

Chocolate Scones

May 19: Sconepal Lola shares a double first: the Roasted Shallot, Gruyere, and Thyme Scone with...(intake of breath)...gazpacho. Astonishing scenes:

Scones and gazpacho

May 19: Sconepal Booktasty was asked by a 5 year-old to bake scones to be eaten without cream, butter, or jam. They're *that* good:

Dry scones

May 17: Sconepal Duke presents some beautifully baked Zesty Lemon Scones on National Baking Day:
Zesty lemon scones

May 17: Sconepal Matt serves up some stunning Chocolate and Orange scones. Beautiful work:

Chocolate and Orange Scones

May 17: Sconepal Ole (Canine Division) is clearly not happy with these Gin and Lemon Scones. He is a strict teetotaller and they were NOT what he asked for. Even the rabbit is staying out of the way. Don't worry, Ole! Normal service will soon resume.

Gin and Lemon scones

May 16: Sconepal Dot presents the 150th lockdown scone, with Orange, Walnut and Fig! It wouldn't be a lockdown scone without a substitution and the figs were replaced with prunes. She also reports that they were "badly behaved in the oven".

Fig, walnut, orange scones

May 15: Sconepal Ali's freezer is full but she couldn't resist joining the Week of Cheese with this batch of gloriousness:

Cheese scones

May 13: Sconepal Mary and her little helper present professional-standard sconeage here. Stunning work:

Lockdown scones

May 12: More family scone success! Tremendous attention to detail on Tim's Lemon & Coconut scones: 


May 12: Sconepal Janice shows that she's an artist of composition and photography as well as of Ginger and Honey Scones:


May 10: Sconepal Abby presents our first Ulster Scones of the lockdown!

Ulster scones

May 10: Sconepal Drew not only bakes the Rhubarb and Custard scones, he grows the rhubarb himself: 

Custard and Rhubarb scones

May 10: Sconepal Oliver delights the crowds with Cherry and Vanilla scone wondrousness:


May 9: Sconepal Stuart worries that he'll be eating these Rhubarb and Custard scones forever:


May 9: Sconepal Florence recreates the Baddesley Clinton afternoon tea in her garden:

National Trust afternoon tea

May 9: Sconepal Mammoth presents fantastic scenes of Apple and Cinnamon scones:

Apple Cinnamon Scones

VE Day, May 8: Our man, Sconepal Ole, is seen here in his best VE Day costume with an array of scones for the occasion. Good man, Ole. You never let us down.

VE Day scones

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Alex is an actual NT baker and it's easy to see why. Beautiful cheese scone work here:

National Trust cheese scones

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Manc Vegetarian is all about the scones for their VE Day celebration. Stunning scenes:


VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Rob goes for a double bill of classic Sultana Scone followed by a Cherry, Marzipan, and Almond Scone chaser:

Cherry Marzipan Almond

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Catherine gives us Cherry Scones galore for VE Day:

Cherry Scones VE Day

VE Day, May 8: Family scones from Ayisha! While the rest of us survive without flour, Ayisha had to forego the butter...but somehow they still worked. Are scones the most resilient foodstuff in the world?


VE Day, May 8: Even more family scones, this time from Hannah! Clearly she got all the artistic skills:


VE Day, May 8: More family scones from Sarah and Katie - their first foray into scone baking proved to be a success:


VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Rachel shares these beautiful Zesty Lemon Scones:

Zesty lemon scones

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Amanda presents jam-tastic scones for her VE Day afternoon tea:

Jam Scones

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Lynne presents two tear-and-share scone arrangements! Walnut and Coffee, and Cherry and Almond!

Tear-and-Share scones

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Heather was commanded by her resident five year-old to prepare fruit scones with no fruit - and very lovely they look too:


VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Alison carefully crafts this beautiful Spinach & Ricotta scone:

Spinach & Ricotta scone

VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Clara pay homage to the mighty Mary Berry with these Sultana Scones:
Mary Berry scones

VE Day May 8: I couldn't resist getting the flour out and trying the Rhubarb and Custard scone recipe from Ickworth for myself. Delicious:

Rhubarb and Custard scone Ickworth

May 7: Sconepal Sarah is also caught by the the Rhubarb and Custard craze that's sweeping the nation:

May 5: Sconepal Mandy got everyone started on a Rhubarb and Custard bonanza:

Rhubarb Custard Scone

May 7: A young scone baker called Elodie allows me to share the Strawberry Scones that she prepared for VE Day:


May 5: Sconepal Mammoth presents the Cranberry & Stilton scones:

Cranberry and Stilton scones

May 5: Sconepal Andy with some Rhubarb and Ginger lockdown delights:

Rhubarb and Ginger

May 4: Sconepal Ali chooses Chocolate Orange Scones for Mambo Sconebake NUMBER NINE - daa-DAAAAH-da-DAH!-da-da-da-da-da-da:

Chocolate Orange Scones

May 4: Sconepal Ole looks a little annoyed as we catch him trying to sell his parents' Red Pepper, Onion, and Cheese scones on Ebay to raise funds for some dog ice cream. It won't be long, Ole.
Red Pepper Cheese Scones

May 3: Sconepal Ali conjures up Wild Garlic and Cheese scone delights:


Wild garlic and cheese scones

May 3: Sconepal Maria presents Cheese and Mixed Herb scone loveliness:

Cheese and Mixed Herb

May 3: Sconepal Ole was a little unhappy with this scone for brunch arrangement as he felt it broke scone etiquette. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I talked him down and he agreed to let this slide.

Brunch scones

May 3: Sconepal Pamela reports that birthday scones were delivered to her husband. Excellent gifting going on here:

Birthday scone

May 2: Sconepal Rob presents a beautiful scene of jamtastic scones:


May 2: Evie, a very talented young scone aficionado, presents a batch worthy of a cookbook. Excellent work, Evie:

Fruit Scones Lockdown

May 2: Sconepal Ali is on her EIGHTH lockdown bake with this Rhubarb and Ginger batch! Surely she can't be caught? Amazing work:

Rhubarb and Ginger Scones

May 2: Sconepal Lynne shares these Cherry Bakewell Scones - a tear and share arrangement we haven't seen before. We approve:

Cherry Bakewell Scones

May 2: Sconepal Norma knows how to celebrate an anniversary in a lockdown: Cheese Scones in the sunshine:
Cheese Scones

May 2: Sconepal Leah with a Cherry and Coconut Scone innovation - we're liking that very much:


May 2: Sconepal Matt provides scone wonder AND some herb lessons: these are Cheese and Wild Ransom (Three Cornered Leek) variety:

Wild Ransom Scones

April 30: Sconepal Ali hits her SEVENTH lockdown scone bake with this beautiful Maple and Walnut selection. Worthy of a Vogue cover, frankly:


Maple and Walnut scones


April 30: Sconepal Lu delivers a stunning composition of Carrot and Parsley-from-the-Garden Scones, invented in response to a shortage of coriander:


April 29: Sconepal CambriaCeltica shares her stunning Treacle Scones, baked using a lovely old cookbook published in the 1960s to raise funds for Llandegai church:

Treacle Scones

April 28: Sconepal Mammoth continues the good work with Cheese Scones:

Cheese scones lockdown

April 27: Sconepal Ali hits us with lockdown scone bake number SIX! Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones. Fantastic:

Chocolate and Marshmallow scones

April 27: Sconepal Jo delivers one of the very best scones we are likely to see during this pandemic lockdown: Chocolate and Marshmallow monster scones:

Marshmallow and Chocolate scones

April 27: Sconepal Booktasty bakes her first ever scones and WHAT A HIT. Fruit Scones are always a delight for the eyes:

Fruity scones

April 26: Sconepal Christian presents the before and after of Cherry Scone adventure:


April 26: Sconepal Mandy presents the wonder of the Rhubarb and Ginger Scone:


April 26: Sconepal Manc Vegetarian shares the real thing, following an earlier prototype using Play-Doh:


April 26: Sconepal Emma delights us with Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones - clearly a big lockdown favourite. 

Chocolate and Marshmallow Lockdown Scones

April 26: Sconepal Ole can't bear to look at his family's latest bake. Clearly not a fan of the Rhubarb and Ginger Scone.

Ginger and Rhubarb scones

April 26: Sconepal Mammoth wows the crowds with these stunning Cranberry and Orange Scones.

Orange and Cranberry scones


April 25: Even my own family are getting involved in Scones for Lockdown!! Here's Tim's selection of Apple and Cinnamon Scones. Excellent work:


April 25: Sconepal Gaenor shows us why she is a professional National Trust scone baker with these Chocolate Orange beauties:

Chocolate Orange Scones

April 25: Sconepal Dot with a world first for the NT Scone Blog: Clootie Dumpling Scones!


April 25: Sconepal Ali continues her lockdown scone marathon with the Raspberry & White Chocolate variety:


April 25: Sconepal Jane forages sustainably for wild garlic leaves for these delights:

Wild Garlic Scones

April 25: Sconepal Heather was asked for an afternoon tea by a five year-old and naturally she delivered:

April 25: Sconepal Andy bakes up a treat of Gouda Scones for us:

Gouda Scones

And follows up immediately with Two-Cheese Scones (Cheddar & Parmesan):

Parmesan Scones

April 23: Sconepal Clare presents beautiful scones on beautiful tablecloth:

Rainbow scones

April 23: Sconepal Sarah bakes up a storm here:

Scones and Cakes

April 22: Sconepal Caro wows the crowd with her Leek & Onion scones:

Leek and Onion scones

April 21: Sconepal Mike serves up "unscientifically iced" Blueberry & Lemon Scones:

Blueberry and Lemon scones

April 20: Sconepal Mrs B delivers a lunchtime scone bonanza:

Cheesey Scones

April 19: Sconepal Ole proudly shows off his family's Apple & Sultana Scones:

Apple and Sultana Sconepal Ole

April 19: Sconepal AfterEight30 takes the Red Pepper, Onion, and Cheese to a new level:

Red Pepper Scones

April 19: Sconepal Barbara with Cheese Scone gloriousness:

Cheese Scones

April 19: Sconepal Manc Vegetarian's daughters show great artistry with our first ever Play-Doh scones:

Play Doh Scones

April 18: Sconepal Dot takes things to a whole new level with this Sprout Scone:

Sprout Scone

April 18: Sconepal Helen goes for the aerial shot of her Rhubard & Custard Scones:

Rhubarb and Custard Scone

April 18: Sconepal Caroline with some Cheese Scone magnificence:

Cheese Scones

April 18: Sconepal Duke with Cheese & Bacon Breakfast Scones:

Cheese and Bacon Scones


April 17: Sconepal Maria knows what to do when your kid can't sit their A'Levels; you invigilate the A'Level in Scone Baking and award an immediate A*****:

Scones

April 17: Sconepal Lu expertly handles a cold and wet lockdown day with these Welsh Herb & Cheese beauties:

Cheese and Herb Scones

April 16: Sconepal Mary and crew deliver some excellent work on the classic Fruit Scone:

Fruit Scones

April 16: Sconepal Lucinda takes a novel approach with these star-shaped Coconut & Almond Scones:

Coconut Scones

April 16: Sconepal Lynne produces tasty Cheese Scones:

Cheese Scones

April 14: Sconepal Heather shows great ingenuity here; when life gives you imperfect simnel scones, make Scone & Butter Pudding:

Scone and Butter Pudding

April 14: Sconepal Mammoth serves up some excellent Ginger & Treacle Scones here:

Ginger & Treacle Scones

April 13: Sconepal Helen's son Marcus (13) takes on the Stollen Scone, which gets a big round of applause from me as the ingredients list alone would scare many a contender away:


April 13: Sconepal Karen presents her Cheese Scone delights:

Cheese Scones

April 13: Sconepal Jo gets into the Easter spirit with these Simnel Scones:

Simnel Scones

April 13: Sconepal Penny cheers us all up with these Cheese Scone marvels:


April 12: The great man himself, Sconepal Ole, looking a little underwhelmed by these Hot Cross Scones. He'd had a bad day being thwarted by cats.

Hot Cross Scones

April 12: Sconepal Laura heads for the fresh fruit with her fresh scones:

Strawberry Scones

April 12: Sconepal EM presents Sour Cherry Scones with matching tablecloth:

Cherry Scones

April 12: Sconepal Jonathan makes up for not getting to Hardwick Hall with some Sultana Scones:


April 11: Sconepal Richard serves up a Strawberry and Marmalade scone fruit spectacular:

Strawberry scones

April 11: Sconepal Leah astounds everyone with a world-first - Mini Egg Scones:

Mini Egg Scones

April 11: Sconepal Abby serves a Rhubarb & Ginger Scone as part of her #notthenationaltrust house tour:


April 11: Sconepal BellsandBikes presents a stunning effort on the classic Fruit Scone:

Fruit Scone

April 11: Sconepal Pauline with another classic fruit delight:


April 11: Sconepal Andy serves up some Cheese Scone gorgeousness:

Cheese Scones

April 11: Sconepal Duke wows the crowds with a Chocolate & Marshmallow success:

Chocolate and Marshmallow Scone

April 10: Sconepal Liam aims for a Triple Chocolate but white chocolate shortage meant he settled for a Double Chcolate Scone. Brave effort: 

Chocolate Scones

April 10: Sconepals Badger & Fox go for the Easter-themed Hot Cross Scone:

Hot Cross Scone

April 10: Sconepal Sarah with Chocolate & Marshmallow Scones for Eastertide:

Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones

April 10: Sconepal Emma serves up some Hot Cross Scone loveliness:


April 10: Sconepal Sarah greets Easter with some Hot Cross Scones:

Hot Cross Scones

April 10: Sconepal Neil presents a golden crop of delights:

Lockdown Scones

April 10: Sconepal Jill with a double bill of Rhubard & Custard and Orange & Cranberry:

Orange and Cranberry Scones

April 9: Sconepal Leah plumps for some mighty Chocolate Chip Scones: 

Chocolate Chip Scones

April 9: Sconepal JurgensGlasses delivers the one we've all been waiting for - the Hot Cross Scones:
Hot Cross Scones

April 9: Sconepal Phil's first ever scones! What a triumphant start to his career:

first attempt at scones

April 8: Sconepal Helen is taking the Great Flour Shortage in her stride with these Apple & Sultana Spelt Flour Beauties:

Apple and Sultana scones

April 8: Sconepal Claire presents our first batch of furlough scones, and she's gone for the Lemon Drizzle:
Lemon Drizzle scone

April 8: Sconepal Alison serves these Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Scones into the sunshine:

Cheese Sundried Tomato Scone

April 8: Sconepal Dot shares the Rhubarb & Ginger from her garden:

Rhubarb Ginger Scones

April 7: Sconepal Catherine welcomes the Eastertide with these Simnel Scones:

Simnel Scones

April 7: Sconepal Mammoth returns with the Apple & Cinnamon:


April 7: Sconepal ChouChou bakes the Apple & Raisin from Wordsworth House in the Book of Scones:

April 6: Sconepal Beth serves up these stunning Honey & Ginger beauties:

Honey and Ginger

April 6: Sconepal Ali delivers her FOURTH lockdown scone batch - the Lemon & Coconut:

Lemon and Coconut Scones

April 6: Sconepal Lu delivers stunning work here with the Red Pepper, Onion & Cheese Scones:

April 5: Sconepal Joe presents one of the greatest pictures of the era. I name it 'The Green, Green Grass of Scones' and will submit it to the National Gallery. The carpet so evocative of National Trust lawns; the sun mockingly reminds us we are behind bars. But we have scones and gin jam for breakfast:

Green Green Grass of Scones

April 5: Sconepal Ole (Canine Division) proudly shares his dad's Roasted Shallot, Gruyere, and Thyme scones:


April 5: Sconepal Laura repeats her #notthenationaltrust experience, this time with added tea cosy:


April 5: Sconepal Ali recreates the Calke Abbey experience at home, with a choice of Fruit Scone or Leek & Cheese:

April 5: Sconepal Heather serves up the Cheese Scone with Marmalade combo:

Cheese Scone Marmalade

April 4: Sconepal Mandy did it: she served up the Christmas Pudding Scone! Fantastic!

Christmas Pudding Scone

April 4: Sconepal Norma serves up Cranberry & Orange in the gardens, in an attempt to cheer up Riley the Dog who misses his NT visits:

Cranberry Scones

April 4: Sconepal Andrew shares a theatrical world first - Macbeth, performed by scones:

Macbeth scones

April 3: Sconepal Sue breaks out the Carrot & Coriander for these delights:

Carrot and Coriander Scones

April 2: Sconepal Ali chalks up her third Lockdown Homebake with these Apple & Raisin beauties:
Apple and Raisin scones

April 2: Stunning work on the Lemon Scones from Sconepal Emma:

Lemon Scones

April 2: Beautiful Lemon & Stem Ginger Scones from Sconepal Jo:


April 1: Some truly magnificent Cheese and Herb Scones from Sconepal Caroline:


March 30: Sconepal Sarah was the latest member of our troupe to open her home up for #notthenationaltrust and serve a very elegant scone:


March 30: Chocolate Orange Scones from Sconepal Milly:

Chocolate Orange Scones

March 29: Sconepal Ole (Canine Division) was the last man standing when it came to finding scones in the outside world. Now he's king of the home-bake with these Singin' Hinnies. We love you Ole.

Singin Hinnies

March 29: Sconepal Catherine delivered quite possibly the most unexpected scone of all time - the Moomin scone.


March 29: Sconepal Kath bravely opened her home to National Trust members, serving Apple Scones. Obviously nobody turned up, apart from two pigeons who ignored the social distancing rules and forced her to close the gardens:

Apple scones

March 29: Sconepal Dot also opened her house up for #notthenationaltrust and served up these Red Pepper, Onion, and Cheese delights:


March 29: Sconepal Andy took things to a new level with Gouda Scones and Fig Compote:

Gouda scones

March 29: Scones galore at Sconepal Liz's house:

Scones with jam

March 29: Sconepal Nathalie broke out the Cheese & Olive scone:

Cheese and olive scone

March 28: Sconepal Laura ingeniously invented the 'visit your own home as if it's a National Trust property' and enjoyed this in the gardens #notthenationaltrust  


March 28: Sconepal Clare also did a #notthenationaltrust visit of her own home and found these in the tea room:

scones

March 27: Sconepal Ali took on the Earl Grey scone AND WON:

Earl Grey scone

March 27: Sconepal BeingAParent produced some Red Pepper, Onion, & Cheese scones - GLUTEN-FREE:

March 25: Sconepal Mammoth took things up a level with Chocolate & Marshmallow:

Choc-Marshmallow-Scone

March 24: Sconepal Paula baked up another cheese scone storm:


March 24: Sconepal James was also on the cheese:



March 22: Sconepal Emily took some scones to Avebury (just before LOCKDOWN): 


March 21: Sconepal Karis produced a fruit number:


March 19: Sconepal Alison delivered this Blackberry & Apple bonanza:

Blackberry and Apple

March 19: Sconepal Catherine served us up this divine scene of cheese scones:

Cheese scones

Please do send me your photos if you are fortunate enough to find any flour/other ingredients in your local shops.

I'll end with this glimmer of hope: when I went to check out the Rabbie Burns' Birthplace Museum website, I was greatly cheered to see that the cafe was represented with a pile of scones. So I make that commitment; not only will I finish the National Trust Scone Odyssey, not only will I visit the final 28 places in England and Wales, but I will go to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway and I will enjoy a National Trust of Scotland scone. 



Stay safe, everyone, and look after each other.

Saturday, 14 March 2020

Wentworth Castle Gardens

I openly admit that I love reading bad reviews of National Trust properties on TripAdvisor. In most cases, the reviewer has gone for a day out somewhere and then come home to vent their anger online about things that were totally beyond the control of the staff: "1 out of 5 - it was raining!" "1 out of 5 - it was closed!" "1 out of 5 - they wouldn't let my dog in!" etc. etc. etc.

So I took a quick look at the very small number (only three in fact) of Terrible reviews of Wentworth Castle Gardens before I set off for Barnsley, fully expecting to take absolutely zero notice of them. But there it was: 1 out of 5 - "There was nothing of any interest to see. Scones in the cafe were good though." 

Wentworth Castle
"Nothing of any interest to see" apparently. Apart from the outside of this massive house, loads of gardens, a conservatory, and several follies.
This stopped me in my tracks. My initial response was outrage - if the scones were good then it's a cast iron five out of five! Even if the rest of the property was a cabbage patch! Who are these people?

But outrage quickly gave way to great hope. Here was someone with standards beyond the reasonable admitting that the Wentworth Castle Garden scones were good. I could be in for a real treat.

Anyway. Before we get to the big reveal re the scones, here's a bit of history about Wentworth Castle Gardens. There was no guide book so I had to glean what I could:
  • Wentworth Castle was basically built out of rage. Thomas Wentworth, a successful army officer, had expected to inherit the family fortune and Wentworth Woodhouse estate from his cousin, the Earl of Strafford.
  • However, when the Earl of Strafford died he left the lot to another cousin, Thomas Watson, instead.
  • Thomas Wentworth was not happy about this. He bought nearby Stainborough Hall in 1708 and set about building an estate to rival that of his "vermin" cousin (as he charmingly referred to Thomas Watson).
  • He built a folly in 1730 that he called Stainborough Castle, at which point he changed the name of the inhabited hall itself to 'Wentworth Castle'.
Stainborough Castle
The Stainborough Castle folly built by Angry Thomas and referred to as a 'sham ruin' on Wikipedia,
which seems a bit harsh. Although that is indeed what it is.
  • Thomas Wentworth was very successful as a soldier and diplomat. Queen Anne made him Earl of Strafford and a Knight of the Garter.
  • But everything went wrong when Queen Anne died in 1714. His achievements were questioned and he ended up retired and humiliated. 
  • So he did what you'd expect an angry, grudge-bearing man to do at the time; he secretly joined the Jacobite cause to restore the Stuart king (James III) to the throne. He couldn't risk doing so publicly though, so he built symbols into the follies around the estate.
  • The estate was passed down, with generations adding their own touches - a later Thomas Vernon-Wentworth added the Conservatory for example - before Bruce Vernon-Wentworth sold the house and gardens to Barnsley Corporation in 1948.

Wentworth Castle Conservatory
The Conservatory - an enormous amount of effort went into fund-raising for its restoration.
  • Today the main house is home to the Northern College for Residential and Community Adult Education - it's not generally open to the public.
  • What you still get is access to all of the follies and monuments around the estate, as well as the gardens themselves.

Wentworth Fernery
The ferns in the fernery still in their winter coats - and who can blame them?

The Wentworth Castle Gardens Scone

But let's move on to the all-important scone. Have you seen the film Super Size Me? It's about a man (documentary maker Morgan Spurlock) who only eats McDonalds food for 30 days. One of his rules is that every time he is offered a Super Size meal, he has to accept and eat the larger portion.

I'm now exactly like that, only with Scones of the Month instead of Big Macs. If a National Trust property offers a fruit scone AND a temporary guest scone then I have to try both. It's the rule. The first time I did this (at Nostell and then at Erddig), I felt like a terrible Bruce Bogtrotter-style glutton and literally cringed myself into muscle spasms as I proffered my tray at the woman on the till - "so you want one cup of tea...and TWO scones?" - but I'm glad to report that I now don't care a single jam-covered jot. I've eaten 200 scones on this odyssey - what's another 350 calories? 

So I was overjoyed today to see a display of Cherry & Vanilla Scones of the Month. They looked utterly delicious and they smelt delicious too; so delicious in fact that I broke with tradition and tried the C&V first. It was divine. So full of cherries that it had turned pink.

Wentworth Castle Gardens Cherry Scone

BUT. In the spirit of full disclosure, I need to tell you that the display for the Cherry & Vanilla scone also featured a copy of the Book of Scones. You'd probably expect me to be delighted by this, and I am indeed always enormously grateful and happy to see it. But it puts me under huge pressure to love the scones, and that is one thing I cannot do. I cannot cheat you, readers. If the scone is not worth a 5 out of 5, it is not getting one.

So I turned to the fruit scone with some trepidation. I cut into it and it looked dry. I was almost glad. And then I ate it and it was utterly perfect. Just the right side of chewy and full of fruit. An indisputable 5 out of 5.  

Wentworth Castle Gardens scone

If you've seen any really good 'Terrible' reviews of NT properties on TripAdvisor, let me know. Let's see if we can top the review that complained that the walls between the toilet cubicles at West Green House Garden were too thin.

Wentworth Castle Gardens: 4.5 out of 5
Scone: 5 out of 5
Bonus of the Cherry & Vanilla scone: 5 out of 5

Yorkshire has been a very happy hunting ground for the National Trust Scone Blogger. Other Yorkshire properties scoring 5 out of 5 were Nostell Priory, Nunnington Hall, Fountains Abbey, Goddards, Beningbrough Hall, and Treasurer's House. Only Hardcastle Crags came in under 5 in Yorkshire but it was still a great place to visit.

Saturday, 18 January 2020

Lavenham Guildhall

It is admittedly a bit of a stretch to compare this National Trust Scone Blog to Game of Thrones. In its last season, each GoT episode cost $15m to produce. This blog post about Lavenham Guildhall cost a bit less than that, although I nearly had a heart attack when the bus driver asked for £7.40 to take me seven miles. I'm not sure what was worse - parting with the cash or the fact that I can remember bus fares costing 25p and am therefore officially of 'nan age'.

BUT ANYWAY. This is the final year of the National Trust Scone Quest and I live in mortal fear that it'll end up like GoT; a massive damp squib with all of you feeling let down. I can't let you down. I just can't.

So I've upped the ante a bit. I've gone into "the cloud" and got some "big data" to help me not fail. My first task: make the first scone mission of the year a non-disaster. They're always a disaster. Usually it's because I'm wearing inappropriate shoes and the weather is bad, but I've also turned up to properties that were shut or partially shut and it's always horrendous.

So I did the maths. Last summer, I ran a survey asking you all to tell me which properties I should prioritise. The runaway winner was Lavenham Guildhall in Suffolk, so I checked the details; open in January, located in a village offering tarmac and limited mud, weather didn't look discouraging. So off I went.


Lavenham Guildhall

Here's a bit of history for you:

Lavenham Guildhall: for religion, not trade

I had assumed that a guild was an association for people belonging to a trade, for example weavers or masons, but not in this case - trade guilds were found in large towns and cities, whereas guilds in smaller locations tended to be religious. There were five religious guilds in Lavenham and this one belonged to Corpus Christi. Lavenham Guildhall was quite small, suggesting that membership was limited to a few eminent merchants.

Lavenham: very wealthy from 1460 to 1530

In 1525, Lavenham was the 14th richest town in England, paying more tax than Lincoln or York. This boomtime had come about because of cloth - Lavenham was famous for producing a blue broadcloth called Lavenham Blews, using woad as a dye.

The Guildhall: built to impress

The Guildhall was built along with two adjacent properties in 1529-30. They were all constructed using timber plus wattle and daub, as East Anglia lacks natural stone. The Guildhall was a bit more elaborate than the other buildings, again suggesting it was a meeting place for high status folks.

The end of the Lavenham boom...

Sadly for Lavenham, a recession hit the cloth industry in the 1520s and 30s and many merchants moved into other industries, leaving a lot of unemployment. By 1568, Lavenham had fallen behind other towns in the area and never regained the levels of wealth and success that it had achieved.

...and the end of the guild - the Guildhall becomes a prison

Religious guilds also came to an inglorious end, being dissolved from 1547 during the Reformation. By 1655, we know that a portion of the Guildhall was being used to house paupers charged with petty crime in what was then called a 'bridewell'. The museum contains some brutal stories of children being incarcerated there before being transported to Australia.

The Guildhall becomes a workhouse

In 1655 the Guildhall also became a workhouse. This was in pre-Victorian days, when being poor was considered to be a fact of life and inhabitants were reasonably treated. It was only later that the idea of the 'undeserving poor' came about and the workhouse became a terrifying place of absolute last resort. Lavenham's workhouse closed in 1836.

The rescue of the Guildhall

Thomas Patrick Hitchcock owned the properties after 1836. He divided the place up and rented it out to tenants, also using space for a granary and a woolstore. A rich man called Sir William Cuthbert Quilter then bought the buildings in 1886 and set about restoring them. He was ahead of his time, as 30 years later the realisation dawned that Lavenham's buildings needed to be preserved and a wider effort began.

The Lavenham Scone

But let's move on to the all-important business of the scone. I've had excellent reports about Lavenham scones over the years but I didn't want to get too excited - see above for first-scone-of-the-year-disaster precedents.

However, there was nothing to fear. The scone was sublime. It was fresh and warm and tasty and I gobbled it down in about 10 seconds, much to the alarm of the nice ladies at the next table who must have wondered where the Cookie Monster had suddenly come from.

Lavenham scone

I'll end with this picture of Lavenham village. I took it as I was standing at the bus stop - by the way, I'm pleased to report that they had provided a nice bench for my tired old grandma legs, although presumably not out of bus profits. 

It was only afterwards did I notice that the picture looks like something from 'Postcard from the Past'. Lavenham didn't feel stuck in time though - most of the old buildings have been turned into useful things like pubs and there's a buzz to the place that definitely wasn't tourist-dependent. It just looks very classic.

Lavenham village

So there you have it: the first scone mission of the year completed and it was a roaring success. I'm going to take this as an omen that 2020 is going to be our year, scone fans, and we will be victorious in completing the National Trust scone quest!

Lavenham Guildhall: 4 out of 5
Scone: 5 out of 5
Stories of misery: 5 out of 5 (if you like misery)

Sunday, 5 January 2020

Top National Trust Properties for Scone Sightings in 2019

Last year, you sent in nearly 500 pictures of National Trust scones that you encountered on your visits (an increase of 20% on 2018, for any advanced stat fiends).

It fascinates me to see which properties get regular mentions (and also which ones don't), so I'm sharing the numbers with you.

Top 10 National Trust Properties for Scone Sightings in 2019:

Top 10 National Trust Properties for Scones

The scones that you shared the most were Ickworth, Blicking, Tyntesfield, Lavenham, Hardwick Hall, Scotney Castle, Anglesey Abbey, Sutton Hoo, Dunwich Heath and Flatford. East Anglia VERY well represented!

Top 11-20 National Trust Properties for Scone Sightings in 2019:


Not far behind were Fountains Abbey, Packwood, Standen, Avebury, Nymans, Stourhead, Cliveden, Oxburgh, Sissinghurst, and A La Ronde.

Top 21-30 National Trust Properties for Scone Sightings in 2019:


And then came Chartwell, Cragside, Greenway, Lyveden, Mount Stewart, Nostell, Sizergh, Treasurers House York, Charlecote, and Clumber Park.

It's the final year of the National Trust Scone Odyssey, so keep sending in your photos. Tweet them to @nt_scones or tag me on your Insta shots @nt_scones! 


Saturday, 28 December 2019

National Trust Scone of the Year 2019

I visited 36 National Trust properties this year and nearly all of them were able to provide me with a scone. In itself that's not wildly impressive - I managed 48 in 2014. But this year I made it to 26 NT places IN AUGUST. One single month of careering around the country eating jam. I truly lived the dream in 2019.

I have committed to finishing this National Trust Odyssey by December 2020. This means I have just 12 months left to career around the country again and visit the remaining 40 or so National Trust properties that have an NT-run cafeteria serving scones. That's the criteria for inclusion, by the way - I'm always overjoyed to stop off at lovely places that don't have a tea room, or have one run by tenants, but they're very much an optional extra as I have to draw the line somewhere.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This post is all about the highlights of 2019 and the big question that I now have to face; which of the 36 properties provided my favourite scones over the past 12 months?

It's been very difficult to narrow it down but narrow it down I must. So here we go with my Top 10 National Trust Scones of 2019:   

10. Cotehele
"COTEHELE IS WONDERFUL AND YOU HAVE TO GO THERE IMMEDIATELY" is basically what I've been told, about 100 times, since I started this blog (turns out Cotehele has a very large and ardent fanbase). And so this year I DID make it to Cotehele in Cornwall and it IS a wonderful place - it's just very dark and it threw me somewhat as I wasn't expecting it. The restaurant on the other hand is light, bright, and airy and the scones were delicious.



9. Antony

My sister and I arrived in Plymouth for our 2019 Summer Tour of Devon, all revved up and ready to atone for years of neglect; until this year I'd only managed about four visits to Devonshire. We picked up the car, set the sat nav for Antony...and within minutes found ourselves on a ferry sailing across the Tamar into enemy territory. And so the first National Trust scone of our Grand Tour of Devon was...in Cornwall. It was a wonderful scone though.



8. Dudmaston
I know that the Dudmaston scone was exceptional because I can still remember it, despite the fact that the entire West Midlands wasp population decided to join me while I was trying to eat it. The scone was light, fresh, and a good size. "Jammy, with jammy undertones," added A Wasp.




7. Kinver Edge & The Rock Houses
If there was an award for Most Bizarre National Trust Property, the Rock Houses at Kinver in Staffordshire would walk it. To quote Danny Dyer, they still do my nut in to this day. People actually used to live in the rocks, doing them up like a country cottage and just digging out a bit more sandstone whenever they needed another room. Truly remarkable. The tea room was tiny and I had zero expectations of the scone, but it was stunning.


6. Erddig
I had been reading up on the sad story of Ellen Penketh, housekeeper at Erddig from 1902-1907, before my visit to Wrexham. This meant that I was unusually focused on the kitchens and staff quarters where she once lived before she was prosecuted for stealing. But luckily I remembered to visit the restaurant where I found an unexpectedly delicious fruit scone AND a Hot Cross Scone. 



5. Arlington
I loved Arlington in North Devon. I loved its peaceful location, and its rooms, and the fact that the National Trust Carriage Museum is located in the stables and one of the carriages was powered by a goat. But most of all I loved its scones. There are some scones that you never forget and the Arlington scone is one of them.



4. Croft Castle
It's scone blog tradition that the first scone mission of the year is usually a total disaster. Croft Castle in Herefordshire refused to play along with that. It was open in January (a good start) and homely, and the tea room served a big, fresh, wondrous scone that had us all impressed.  



3. The Argory
My summer tour of Northern Ireland was surprising for many reasons, but most memorable of all was the universal love for a cherry scone that I found across the province. I never got bored of them, either - turns out that cherries can perk up a scone like nobody's business and the one that I had at The Argory in County Armagh will never be forgotten.



2. Watersmeet
Picture the scene: it's August 2013 and I have started a new blog about National Trust scones. I'm riddled with doubts about the whole idea and my mouse cursor is hovering over the 'delete it all' button. 

And then I turn on Countryfile and His Royal Majesty Sir John of Craven is baking National Trust scones at Watersmeet in Devon. I take it as a sign from the gods and I persevere with the blog (and the scones). Watersmeet has been a place of pilgrimage in my mind ever since and I finally made it there this year. The scones were beyond my wildest imaginings - fresh, crumbly, warm and eaten in beautiful surroundings on a sunny day. Perfection.


1. Fell Foot
If I've learned one thing from this National Trust scone project it is that the most unassuming of properties can sometimes deliver the loveliest rewards. 

Fell Foot, on the banks of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, has no grand house - it was knocked down. The cafe is not what you'd describe as cosy - it's large and wooden and basic to accommodate all the walkers and watersporters. And yet the scone was sublime. I'm so glad that my great friend Sarah-Jane was there with me to witness it, otherwise I'd be questioning myself that a scone could be that good. But we both knew we were in the presence of something very special. 



So well done to Fell Foot for winning my National Trust Scone of the Year for 2019. They join the previous champions in the pantheon of the greats: Shugborough (2018), The Needles Old Battery (2017), Cornwall Properties (2016), South Foreland Lighthouse & White Cliffs of Dover (2015), Dunwich Heath (2014), Flatford (2013). 

And that's a wrap for 2019. A huge, huge thank you to everyone that has supported the scone odyssey this year, either by reading the blog, buying the Book of Scones, or sending me photos of your National Trust tea-room adventures. Every single photo, comment, and like is appreciated, I promise you.

My attention now turns to completing my quest by 31 December 2020. The good news is that it's a Leap Year, which means I get an extra 24 hours, but I'm still going to need a fair wind and positive thoughts. Wish me luck and meet you back here next year for the big one: who will be the Scone To Rule Them All?

Sunday, 22 December 2019

National Trust Sconepals' Choice Award 2019

There's only one short week to go until I announce my top National Trust Scone of 2019. I visited a whopping 36 NT properties this year so it's going to be a very difficult decision. But before I declare my own winner, I asked you all to vote for your favourites of the past 12 months. 

So without further ado, let's get the big golden envelopes out and ask our adjudicators to stand at the side of the stage with their briefcases but not mess things up, a la the Oscars in 2017.  

53 properties got at least one vote this year, so bravo to all of those expert scone bakers who wowed us throughout the year. 

However, there can only be one winner.

So eyes down as we reveal, in reverse order:

In third place! It's Fountains Abbey!



In second place, our runner-up! It's Treasurer's House in York!



And in first place, the Sconepals' Choice of 2019 is...



It's Ickworth! 

Congratulations to the team at Ickworth. It's a few years since I went there, so it's clearly time to go back. You can read about my scone mission to Ickworth here.

A huge well done and thank you to all of the National Trust baking teams across the land. Among the honourable mentions this year were: 

Blickling
Buckland Abbey
Flatford
Goddards
Hardwick Hall
Shugborough
Sizergh Castle
Attingham Park
Carnewas
Charlecote
Cotehele
Felbrigg
Hidcote
Lavenham Guildhall
Nostell
Quarry Bank
Acorn Bank
Arlington
Avebury
Basildon Park
Calke Abbey
Castle Drogo
Clumber Park
Coleton Fishacre
Croome
Dunham Massey
Fell Foot
Gibside
Gunby Hall
Houghton Mill
Killerton
Kinver Edge
Knole
Lanhydrock
Lyme Park
Lytes Cary Manor
Nymans
Osterley
Oxburgh Hall
Packwood
Penrhyn Castle
Powis Castle
Scotney Castle
Stackpole
Stourhead
Sutton Hoo
Tyntesfield
Waddesdon Manor
Wentworth Castle Gardens
Wightwick Manor

Finally, a huge THANK YOU to everyone that voted and to everyone that has continued to send in scone pictures this year. 

With a fair wind, 2020 will be the final year of this National Trust Scone Quest, so keep your photos coming - I love to see where you've been (and what you've eaten). 

Look out for the National Trust Scone Blogger's Scone of 2019 - I'll be announcing my honours list next week!