Bridge of Orchy Scones by David Hetherington, Head Chef at Bridge of Orchy Hotel
“Mother’s Day is here and a very Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful mummies out there. I can tell you right now that I don’t know where I would be today without my own mum. The truth is, I probably wouldn’t be a chef. For me, learning to cook was a necessity to survive her cooking… especially to avoid the dreaded sausage stew! Sorry mum, I love you really.
The real cook in my family was my gran. She was a dinner lady at the local primary school. My grandpa would tell me, “Your gran makes the best soup, when you can stand your spoon up in it, that’s a soup!”. For me, she made the best cakes – the home style ones that were a bit crumbly, but you didn’t care because they tasted so good. Every time you’d step foot in the house you would be given a slab of yoghurt loaf with a cup of tea. Before we all became a little wiser about the nutritional value of school dinners, my gran baked all the cakes for the primary school lunches. Life was a lot simpler back then!
One of the fondest memories I have of visiting gran’s house was when she had just recently made a batch of scones, and we had gone out and collected fresh brambles with my great gran and made jam together. So, at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel, our afternoon tea will always feature a freshly baked scone with cream and bramble jam. This recipe isn’t quite the same as my gran makes, but one I’ve worked with for years and clung on to. Simple but delicious.” – David Hetherington
Experience Highland hospitality at its best in the iconic Bridge of Orchy Hotel near Glencoe with a new ‘Orchy’ Afternoon Tea experience. Recently appointed Head Chef and former BBC MasterChef – The Professionals contestant, David Hetherington, has made it his mission to create a foodie haven on the West Highland Way. Served fireside, in The Orchy Bistro or even out on the terrace with its breathtaking views, Bridge of Orchy’s new Afternoon Tea includes a glass of Prosecco, a selection of sandwiches, freshly baked scones, French macarons, billionaire’s shortbread and lemon meringue tart, as well as gin and beetroot cured seatrout and cucumber pickle, and chef’s renowned haggis & black pudding scotch eggs. Launched in time for Mother’s Day, the Orchy Afternoon Tea is £40 per person, including a glass of prosecco. To book, call: 01838 400 208 or email info@bridgeoforchy.co.uk. For more information, please visit: www.bridgeoforchy.co.uk.
Makes 8-10
Ingredients
510g Self-raising flour
150g Unsalted butter
90g Caster sugar
Milk to bind
1 egg
Method:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and gently crumble in the cold butter using cold hands or a fork until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Slowly add the milk until it comes together like a soft dough. It is very important the mix is not over worked or the scones will be tough and chewy.
3. With these scones, the only raising agent is the self-raising flour, so they won’t rise much. The best thing to do is cut them to around about the size you want them to be, lay them on an oven tray lined with parchment.
4. You can choose to egg wash the scones for a shiny golden crust or to milk brush them but personally I like to just dust them with caster sugar.
5. Bake at 180°C for 25 mins or golden brown. A good test is to carefully pick up a cooked scone and give the base a tap – it should have a hollow sound to it.
6. Now the hard part! Wait for the scones to cool before bursting them open and tearing in with your favourite scone accompaniment.
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