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:
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.
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:
May 25: Sconepal Lucy presents another beautiful Lockdown Bank Holiday afternoon tea:
May 25: Sconepal Janice serves up gorgeous afternoon tea delights on Lockdown Bank Holiday:
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:
May 25: Sconepal Barbara kicks off Lockdown Bank Holiday with these Cheese Scone beauties:
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:
May 24: Sconepal Jane with some stunning Goat's Cheese and Chive Scones:
May 24: Sconepal Catherine bakes up some beautiful Apple and Cinnamon Scones:
May 24: Sconepal Fiona continues her lockdown scone baking frenzy with these gorgeous Pear, Walnut, and Goat's Cheese Scones:
May 24: Sconepal Alison shares her beautifully crafted Stilton and Hazelnut Scones:
May 23: Sconepal Liz shows lovely plate choices as well as scone options:
May 23: Sconepal Dot crafts some stunning Raspberry & Chocolate Scones:
May 23: Sconepal Melissa freshens things up with Raspberry & 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!
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!
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:
May 21: Sconepal Lu astonishes everyone with the Horseradish Scone...served with beef:
May 20: Sconepal Jo stuns us all into silence with these beautiful Blueberry & Honey scones:
May 20: Sconepal Mole gets an enthusiastic round of applause for their first lockdown scone bake:
May 20: Sconepal Angela is shielding - and let's face it, what virus stands a chance against such a beautiful afternoon tea?
May 20: Sconepal Mammoth embarks on a late-night bake of Triple Chocolate Scones:
May 19: Sconepal Lola shares a double first: the Roasted Shallot, Gruyere, and Thyme Scone with...(intake of breath)...gazpacho. Astonishing scenes:
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:
May 17: Sconepal Duke presents some beautifully baked Zesty Lemon Scones on National Baking Day:
May 17: Sconepal Matt serves up some stunning Chocolate and Orange scones. Beautiful work:
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.
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".
May 15: Sconepal Ali's freezer is full but she couldn't resist joining the Week of Cheese with this batch of gloriousness:
May 13: Sconepal Mary and her little helper present professional-standard sconeage here. Stunning work:
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!
May 10: Sconepal Drew not only bakes the Rhubarb and Custard scones, he grows the rhubarb himself:
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 Mammoth presents fantastic scenes of Apple and 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, May 8: Sconepal Alex is an actual NT baker and it's easy to see why. Beautiful cheese scone work here:
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:
VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Catherine gives us Cherry Scones galore for 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:
VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Amanda presents jam-tastic scones for her VE Day afternoon tea:
VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Lynne presents two tear-and-share scone arrangements! Walnut and Coffee, and Cherry and Almond!
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:
VE Day, May 8: Sconepal Clara pay homage to the mighty Mary Berry with these Sultana 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:
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:
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:
May 5: Sconepal Andy with some Rhubarb and Ginger lockdown delights:
May 4: Sconepal Ali chooses Chocolate Orange Scones for Mambo Sconebake NUMBER NINE - daa-DAAAAH-da-DAH!-da-da-da-da-da-da:
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.
May 3: Sconepal Ali conjures up Wild Garlic and Cheese scone delights:
May 3: Sconepal Maria presents Cheese and Mixed Herb scone loveliness:
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.
May 3: Sconepal Pamela reports that birthday scones were delivered to her husband. Excellent gifting going on here:
May 2: Sconepal Rob presents a beautiful scene of jamtastic scones:
May 2: Sconepal Ali is on her EIGHTH lockdown bake with this Rhubarb and Ginger batch! Surely she can't be caught? Amazing work:
May 2: Sconepal Lynne shares these Cherry Bakewell Scones - a tear and share arrangement we haven't seen before. We approve:
May 2: Sconepal Norma knows how to celebrate an anniversary in a lockdown: Cheese Scones in the sunshine:
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:
April 30: Sconepal Ali hits her SEVENTH lockdown scone bake with this beautiful Maple and Walnut selection. Worthy of a Vogue cover, frankly:
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:
April 28: Sconepal Mammoth continues the good work with Cheese Scones:
April 27: Sconepal Ali hits us with lockdown scone bake number SIX! Chocolate and Marshmallow Scones. Fantastic:
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:
April 27: Sconepal Booktasty bakes her first ever scones and WHAT A HIT. Fruit Scones are always a delight for the eyes:
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.
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.
April 26: Sconepal Mammoth wows the crowds with these stunning Cranberry and Orange 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:
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:
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:
April 23: Sconepal Sarah bakes up a storm here:
April 22: Sconepal Caro wows the crowd with her Leek & Onion scones:
April 21: Sconepal Mike serves up "unscientifically iced" Blueberry & Lemon Scones:
April 20: Sconepal Mrs B delivers a lunchtime scone bonanza:
April 19: Sconepal Ole proudly shows off his family's Apple & Sultana Scones:
April 19: Sconepal AfterEight30 takes the Red Pepper, Onion, and Cheese to a new level:
April 19: Sconepal Barbara with Cheese Scone gloriousness:
April 19: Sconepal Manc Vegetarian's daughters show great artistry with our first ever Play-Doh scones:
April 18: Sconepal Dot takes things to a whole new level with this Sprout Scone:
April 18: Sconepal Helen goes for the aerial shot of her Rhubard & Custard Scones:
April 18: Sconepal Caroline with some Cheese Scone magnificence:
April 18: Sconepal Duke with Cheese & Bacon Breakfast 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*****:
April 17: Sconepal Lu expertly handles a cold and wet lockdown day with these Welsh Herb & Cheese beauties:
April 16: Sconepal Mary and crew deliver some excellent work on the classic Fruit Scone:
April 16: Sconepal Lucinda takes a novel approach with these star-shaped Coconut & Almond Scones:
April 16: Sconepal Lynne produces tasty Cheese Scones:
April 14: Sconepal Heather shows great ingenuity here; when life gives you imperfect simnel scones, make Scone & Butter Pudding:
April 14: Sconepal Mammoth serves up some excellent Ginger & Treacle Scones here:
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:
April 13: Sconepal Jo gets into the Easter spirit with these 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.
April 12: Sconepal Laura heads for the fresh fruit with her fresh scones:
April 12: Sconepal EM presents Sour Cherry Scones with matching tablecloth:
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:
April 11: Sconepal Leah astounds everyone with a world-first - 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:
April 11: Sconepal Pauline with another classic fruit delight:
April 11: Sconepal Andy serves up some Cheese Scone gorgeousness:
April 11: Sconepal Duke wows the crowds with a Chocolate & Marshmallow success:
April 10: Sconepal Liam aims for a Triple Chocolate but white chocolate shortage meant he settled for a Double Chcolate Scone. Brave effort:
April 10: Sconepals Badger & Fox go for the Easter-themed Hot Cross Scone:
April 10: Sconepal Sarah with Chocolate & Marshmallow Scones for Eastertide:
April 10: Sconepal Emma serves up some Hot Cross Scone loveliness:
April 10: Sconepal Neil presents a golden crop of delights:
April 10: Sconepal Jill with a double bill of Rhubard & Custard and Orange & Cranberry:
April 9: Sconepal Leah plumps for some mighty Chocolate Chip Scones:
April 9: Sconepal JurgensGlasses delivers the one we've all been waiting for - the Hot Cross Scones:
April 9: Sconepal Phil's first ever scones! What a triumphant start to his career:
April 8: Sconepal Helen is taking the Great Flour Shortage in her stride with these Apple & Sultana Spelt Flour Beauties:
April 8: Sconepal Claire presents our first batch of furlough scones, and she's gone for the Lemon Drizzle:
April 8: Sconepal Alison serves these Cheese & Sun-dried Tomato Scones into the sunshine:
April 8: Sconepal Dot shares the Rhubarb & Ginger from her garden:
April 7: Sconepal Catherine welcomes the Eastertide with these 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:
April 6: Sconepal Ali delivers her FOURTH lockdown scone batch - the Lemon & Coconut:
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:
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:
April 4: Sconepal Mandy did it: she served up the Christmas Pudding Scone! Fantastic!
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:
April 4: Sconepal Andrew shares a theatrical world first - Macbeth, performed by scones:
April 3: Sconepal Sue breaks out the Carrot & Coriander for these delights:
April 2: Sconepal Ali chalks up her third Lockdown Homebake with these Apple & Raisin beauties:
April 2: Stunning work on the Lemon Scones from Sconepal Emma:
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:
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.
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:
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:
March 29: Scones galore at Sconepal Liz's house:
March 29: Sconepal Nathalie broke out the Cheese & 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:
March 27: Sconepal Ali took on the Earl Grey scone AND WON:
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:
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:
March 19: Sconepal Catherine served us up this divine scene of 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.



















































































































































































































































































