Scones of the Month - August 2014
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This month started with a long awaited visit to BB Bakery as I'd hear wonderful reports about their scones. The café has a contemporary Parisian patisserie feel with an eye catching selection of beautifully decorated cakes on their counter however I managed, for the sake of the blog, to stay focused on their scones.
The café is very popular and was busy when I arrived but I was quickly seated at one of their tables downstairs. I ordered a scone costing £4.90 and a pot of Assam tea for £3.95. The plain scone was served warm and was large and delightfully misshapen. In fact it was so humongous, it really was a meal in itself. It was accompanied by very generous portions of strawberry jam and clotted cream which was perfect for the size of the scone, as one can never have too much clotted cream! The scone had a fabulous texture being deliciously crunchy on the outside and fluffily soft inside. The café is conveniently located a few minutes walk away from busy Covent Garden Piazza and the service was good. It will be one of several cafes to feature in my new London Cake Walk tour. Also BB Bakery are the people behind the new afternoon tea bus tours, which I'm planning to do with a friend soon and which I'll feature in this blog.
Ratings: Scones: 3, Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall: 9/11
GAIL's is an artisan bakery with several branches in London. I had been tipped off my friend Yannick (thank you) that they offer an unusual selection of scones. On arrival I noticed they had a great selection of scones (see above) which included a sour cherry and dark chocolate drop scone, a maple and pecan drop scone as well as the more traditional plain or sultana scones which are served with clotted cream and jam.
GAIL's
I ordered a blueberry, apricot and ginger drop scone for £2.40 and a pot of tea. The scone was served cold and without any accompaniments. It had a rich fruity flavour with generous chucks of fruit making any additions, such as cream or jam, totally unnecessary as it would have just detracted from the taste. It also had a crunchy sugary topped glaze which added to the uniqueness of their scone. I visited their Soho branch which is one of their smaller establishments and the staff were really welcoming and they informed me that the scone flavours on offer are permanently on their menu. I also loved their quirky decor as I sat eating my scone sitting opposite a poster of Batman and Robin. I've promised myself that I would return soon to try out their other flavours. GAIL's is also going to feature in my London Cake Walk.
Ratings: Scones: 3, Accompaniments: None, not applicable, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall: 7/8 (NB scores very highly but it has a lower overall mark as there is no accompaniments category)
My final scones for this month come from Bea's of Bloomsbury which I visited with my dear friend @LondonSE4. I will start by admitting that ever since discovering Bea's creation the duffin, a cross between a doughnut and a muffin, I have been a fan however up until now I've never tried their scones so over the wet bank holiday weekend we headed off to their branch in One New Change, one of their three branches, for cakes and a catch up. We arrived midday and the scones which were freshly baked were just coming out of the oven. After a brief wait they arrived two warm, large plain scones accompanied by good size portions of both raspberry jam and clotted cream. The scones had a lovely crunchy texture on the outside and soft inside, the perfect combination. The scones were great value at £4.80 and I also ordered a pot of jasmine tea.
Ratings: Scones: 3, Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: 2, Overall: 9/11
Until next time...
If you enjoyed this blog you might like to read about Scones of the Year 2013 or other editions of Scones of the Month.
The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds
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