NO classic cream tea is complete without an oven-baked scone – but the traditional favourite may soon be off the menu at some UK teashops.
The fresh versions are to be replaced at a number of National Trust outlets by bought-in versions. But can pre-made versions really compete?
As Afternoon Tea Week kicks off today, Laura Stott tests supermarket ones to discover which is the most stately, with marks out of five.
Top tip: Pop a shop-bought scone in an air fryer for five minutes at 160C – it will taste like it’s just come out of the oven!
Specially Selected All Butter Scones
Pack of 4, £1.49, Aldi
8
ALDI’s afternoon tea treats certainly look the part – generously sized, they would be right at home in a stately home cafe.
Golden on top, they smell scrummy and have a nice home-baked look, complete with uneven edges.
Made with 19 per cent buttermilk, 14 per cent British butter and six per cent clotted cream, they are rich in flavour.
Crumbly and fluffy yet dense enough for toppings, these are teashop worthy at a low price.
RATING: 5/5
The Daily Bakery Sultana Scones
Pack of 4, £1.60, Iceland
8
THESE are made with 12 per cent sultanas but don’t contain any butter.
They use palm and rapeseed oil instead, which may be why they didn’t look quite right – they had a sheen.
While scone-shaped, the scones tasted more like a teacake.
When I cut one open, it was dry and fell apart. Even with cream and jam, I didn’t fancy it unheated.
But warmed and slathered with butter it tasted fine. If you want the full cream tea experience these will not deliver.
RATING: 2/5
Deluxe All Butter Scones
Pack of 4, £1.49, Lidl
8
THESE plump treats have the yum factor with their puffy exterior, golden brown tops and delicious buttery aroma.
Made with ten per cent butter, they taste like a proper scone, if a little sweet.
Quite cake-like in texture, once I’d smothered mine in cream and jam it had the feel of a mini Victoria sponge, which isn’t a bad thing.
Soft inside, it could be eaten with just butter. If I was being picky, they are a tiny bit dry.
RATING: 4/5
Sultana Scones
Pack of 4, £2.20, M&S/ocado.com
8
EVEN though these were the most expensive, they looked disappointing.
Compared to others on test, they were smaller and the tops looked too dark, oddly shiny and flat.
They lacked the plump appearance you’d expect. Made with 21 per cent sultanas, 13 per cent buttermilk, 12 per cent milk and clotted cream, they were at least moist.
Warmed with cream and jam they tasted better than they looked, but they were not good value.
RATING: 1/5
Sultana Scones
Pack of 6, £1.65, Tesco
8
YOU get six in the pack and considering they are made with 13 per cent butter and 17 per cent dried fruits, these are very good value.
They looked liked cafe scones, with crimped edges and a perfect golden colour on top. And they taste very nice, too.
A little dense but rich and buttery, and the sultanas work well. The scones could be fresher and less dry, but they hit the spot warmed with butter.
Ideal for an everyday eat.
RATING: 3/5
Sultana Scones
Pack of 6, £1.75, Sainsbury’s
8
THIS pack offered a mixed bag visually – the bigger ones had more plate appeal than the smaller more squished ones, so satisfaction might depend on size.
Containing 13 per cent butter and 16 per cent sultanas, these tasted fresh for a shop scone, but you couldn’t pass them off as homemade.
They smelt delicious warmed, and with jam and cream they were nice, but a bit oily.
They could have been tastier and fluffier for the price.
RATING: 2/5
All Butter Scones
Pack of 6, £1.65, Morrisons
8
I WAS not enthusiastic about tucking into these as they looked so plain.
There was no delicious freshly baked waft – all I got was a sweet, sugary aroma.
Despite containing 17 per cent butter, they didn’t look especially fresh either. To eat, they were dry and dull with no flavour.
Warmed, they were more enjoyable – but only because of the jam and cream.
Dense and far too firm with no fluffiness at all and they felt too compact in the mouth.
RATING: 2/5
The Bakery Plain Scones
Pack of 6, £1.64, Asda
8
I COULDN’T wait to tuck into these treats as they looked so cream tea-worthy.
Made with 18 per cent butter, the scones looked and smelt fresh and delicious with soft, crumbling insides and pale but still appetising outers.
Very satisfying. Perhaps a little dense to really hit that teashop sweet spot, but caked in cream and butter they weren’t bad. For a teatime treat these are a decent scoff and a good all-round buy.
RATING: 3/5
