Scones of the Month - January 2015 - Part I Scones at Home
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Welcome to the first Scones of the Month for 2015. This also sees my London Scone Review celebrating its first birthday and to mark the occasion this month there is a double issue. Part I Scones at Home starts off in style with the fabulous Sconnoisseur and Part II will be Scones on the Town (title courtesy of friend and artist Lozzy Bones).
Sconnoisseur
As someone who consumes but *shock horror* doesn't bake her own scones, the idea of enjoying luxury scones at home from the Sconnoisseur sounded most tempting. The website offers a bespoke mail order service and is easy to navigate. The hardest part is choosing as there is a small but impressive choice of scone flavours, including white chocolate and cranberry, also spelt with cinnamon and dates or hazelnut and milk chocolate. There are also traditional fruit scones if one prefers. Scones can be purchased in boxes of four or six and then one selects their tea and preserve. Once ordered my scones arrived promptly, safe and securely as they had been well packaged. On opening I found a delightful good quality gift box (1st photo) which is so nice I have kept and re-used.
Sconnoisseur
I had ordered the Rose Water scones and I couldn't wait to taste them. My gift box contained four scones which were well sealed so they stayed fresh. I had selected from a choice of four different teas Earl Grey which came in its own packet containing four tea pyramids. This was accompanied with my chosen jam, Mrs Bridges Scottish Raspberry preserve.
Sconnoisseur
The rose water scones were utterly divine. The flavour was amazing, while it had a distinctive, rich taste, it was also subtle and discreet. The balance was just right, it didn't taste overpowering but it was still very unique. The texture of the scones were perfect too being firm on the outside and soft inside. They were one of the nicest flavoured scones I have eaten both on flavour and texture. The box also contained very good quality and a more than ample size jar of preserve and tea bags. Clotted cream is not included, however that was not an issue as I tried the scones both with and without it and my personal preference for the rose water scones was without cream to enjoy the flavour. The prices for a gift box containing four scones, tea and preserve starts from £10.99 + £3.99 for postage and packing. The scones were delicious and there are some surprising and delightful flavours available and the Sconnoisseur is a great choice if you are a food connoisseur wanting to try expand your scone eating repertoire or if you are looking for a special and unique gift.
Thank you to the Sconnoisseur for making this review possible.
Ratings: Scones: 3, Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: NA as eaten at home, Overall: 7/8
PS. Just found out that the Sconnoisseur is at Partridges Market, organised by Shepherds Markets, on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
Continuing on the theme of scones to eat at home, one Saturday I visited One New Change which hosts regular food markets which are also organised by Shepherds Markets. While there is always a great selection of foods available at the markets needless to say it was the scones on The Two Shuks' stall that grabbed my attention. The plain scones looked delightful and were already prepared and oozing with blackcurrant jam and clotted cream. My scone was boxed up and I managed to get it home in one piece and without eating it on the journey. The scone was crunchy and firm on the outside and deliciously soft inside. It had been prepared with a very generous portion of jam and cream and was served cold. Although I forgot to make a note of the price (sorry) it was very reasonable. The ready prepared scones are a lovely but also quite an unusual idea and were extremely tasty.
Ratings: Scones: 3, Accompaniments: 2, Service: 2, Ambience: NA as eaten at home, Overall: 7/8
When I was hosting a post Christmas tweet up in my home a couple of weeks ago the pressure was on as everyone was saying to me that they were expecting amazing scones. By chance I was in Chapel Market when I walked by Euphorium and noticed their humungous fruit scones in their window and the stress disappeared. The raisin scones were large and very filling, without being stodgy. They were really delicious being crunchy on the outside with a soft interior. They were purchased without any accompaniments, so that is reflected in their overall score.
Ratings: Scones: 2, Accompaniments: NA , Service: 2, Ambience: NA as eaten at home, Overall: 4/5
Large scones from Euphorium Bakery and small scones from Bow Belly
My final offering in this month's two parter comes from Bow Belly, which has a café in Hackney, but I discovered them at the Farmers Market in Islington. I purchased their mini scones and apologises for not having a better photo but @k_chambers82, @LondonSE4, @travelling_dave and I ate them before I remembered to photograph them (sorry we were distracted). The plain scones were petit and dainty. They also tasted delicious with a crisp exterior and a soft interior and were well received by my guests.
Ratings: Scones: 2, Accompaniments: NA , Service: 2, Ambience: NA as eaten at home, Overall: 4/5
January has been a bit of a bumper month for me so in Part II which will be out soon, I will cover Scones on the Town featuring one cream tea and three afternoon teas. I have certainly managed to keep to my New Year's resolution of eating more scones!
Until next time…
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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