Old Fashioned English Lavender Tea Scones

When I was back home in England recently, I visited a local lavender farm called Wold's Way Lavender in North Yorkshire; we had tea and these delicious lavender scones in their delightful little tea room; this is my attempt to recreate those scones - using some of my home-grown culinary lavender from the garden here in France! I have made them several times now and they have turned out just as I remembered them, especially good if split whilst still warm, buttered and spread with lavender honey or lavender-infused cream! Just a note of interest......lavender was often used during Tudor and Elizabethan times in the preparation of a wide variety of dishes and was a particular favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. The palace gardeners were required to have lavender flowers available at all times which were used to make Conserve of Lavender (a mixture of lavender flowers and sugar) and sweet lavender tisane, a drink made with lavender flowers, boiling water and honey.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 12 scones

Ingredients

• 225  g plain flour
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 60  g butter
• 1  tablespoon  natural cane sugar
• 150  ml milk
• 1  tablespoon  organic  lavender flowers
• 1  egg, beaten

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C/450F, then lightly flour a baking tray.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder & salt. Rub the butter with the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Make a deep well in the flour, pour in the liquid and mix to a soft doughy texture with your hands. Sprinkle on the lavender flowers and knead into the dough very lightly until it is just smooth. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board & cut out scone rounds.
4. Brush the scones with the beaten egg, and sprinkle a few lavender flowers on top if you wish.
5. Bake in oven for 7 - 10 minutes or until well risen and brown. Leave to cool. Serve with butter, lavender honey or lavender-infused cream.