Image by Holly Bell
Mother's Day looms. I already have my gifts; a little cardboard pot coloured in with felt tips and a card shaped like a tea pot with some letters written backwards. These are my riches and I'll keep them until they wheel me into a rest home. If you've already got the card and have run out of cardboard boxes to colour in then may I suggest this little afternoon tea for your Ma?
I made a lovely video with the Scoff folks to show off how to make this afternoon tea. You can see the vid on my YouTube channel and also the Scoff one. You can watch it below too.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now... on Amazon, The Works, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
Makes 12 mini chocolate orange scones
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 15g baking powder
- 90g very cold salted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- 100g milk chocolate chips
- Zest of 1 orange
- 145ml very cold whole or semi-skimmed milk, plus extra for brushing
- 100g clotted cream
- Mix the flour and baking powder together until well distributed. Stir the very cold butter pieces through the flour with a blunt knife until all the pieces are well coated. Wash your hands in cold water and rub the fat into the flour until you have a breadcrumb like consistency. You can also use a pastry cutter for this job if you have one.
- Add the milk chocolate chips and stir well.
- Zest the orange and add to the milk, then pour over the butter and flour mixture and bring together with a blunt knife, then use your hands to pull it together by squeezing. Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7 and check the rack is at the top of the oven. Cover a baking sheet with non-stick greaseproof paper.
- Flour your work surface, then pop the scone dough out onto it. Roll to about a 3cm-thickness then use a mini scone cutter dipped in flour to cut straight down, without twisting or turning it. Then place onto a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used, you can re-squidge it but the scones won't be as tender.
- Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk, making sure that none of it runs down the sides as it will stop a good rise. Bake immediately for 10-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the scones are well risen. (A good scone has a little split in the middle, ready for breaking in two with your hands.)
Holly blogs at Recipes from a Normal Mum
Her first book is out now, also called Recipes from a Normal Mum