AN AFTERNOON TEA

Who doesn't love a nice cup of tea in the afternoon when its getting cold outside and the best thing to go with an English cup of tea are scones. I love these little cakes, they are just so light and delicious, a lovely little treat in the afternoon to lift up your mood in those dark winter months.

Making scones for tea makes me also a little nostalgic! Some of you might not know that I studied to be a chef back home in Germany and qualified as comi chef after 3 years. When I finish my qualification I decides to start travelling and work as a chef in the UK for a while. And it was here in a little restaurant on a popular nature reserve where I first learnt to make scones. I loved making these as a lot of people always complimented me on how good they were and kept coming back for more!

So when I now make them at home I always look back at those days when I first came to the UK and everything was so new and exciting. My kids like them just as much as I do and they never seem to last for very long in our house.

Here is how you make them!

Ingredients

500g strong flour ( normal  plain flour will also do)

80g soft butter, plus a little for greasing the baking tray

80g caster sugar

2 eggs, plus one egg for glazing

5 tsp baking powder

250ml milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220C, Gas mark 7 and lightly grease a baking tray with butter.
2. Put the flour and butter into a large bowl , using your fingers rube the butter into the flour so that you get little crumps.
3. Next add the sugar, 2 eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently, making sure you mix in all the ingredients. 
4. Now add all the milk little by little to form a very soft and wet dough.
5. Sprinkle some more flour onto a clean surface and tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle flour on top.
6. Use you hands to fold the dough. By folding and turning the mixture you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until you have formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour, be careful not to overwork  your dough.
7. Next roll the dough out and with a pastry cutter ( if you don't have one use a glass) cut out round shapes and place the scones onto your baking tray. Any left over can be rolled out and used again.
8. Lastly brush the scones with some egg wash and bake the them for 15 min or until golden brown. 

          Serve with clotted cream,some strawberry jam and a nice hot cup of tea!!! 

ENJOY!!!