So, strawberry season is fast approaching. I like mine just as they are, sneaking a few more than allowed when picking the plump, sweet reds, but if you’re gonna make a jam, you’d better be making these bad boys to go with it. These scones aren’t just your everyday fruit scone, these are monsters; sugar crusted and vanilla laden with plump and juicy Earl Grey tea-infused sultanas. Damn good scones, in short. And a doddle to make, which is always a plus.

Ingredients

• 675g plain flour
• 40g baking powder
• 115g golden caster sugar
• 115g butter
• 350ml milk
• 70ml cream
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 150g sultanas
• 3 Earl Grey teabags
• 500ml boiling water
• 1 egg for glazing
• extra sugar for sprinkling

Okay, the first thing you want to do is infuse your sultanas. You can either do this the easy way; leave them overnight in a bowl with the water and teabags covered with clingfilm, or the quick way which is steep the teabags in the boiling water for a few minutes, discard the teabags, pour the tea into a saucepan along with the sultanas and just let a medium heat do its work. Occasionally stir them until they’ve soaked up all that citrussy tea and they’re good to go. Just be careful not to burn them. Preheat the oven to about 190C for a fan and 200C for a gas. Next get your flour, baking powder, sugar and butter in a big bowl. Rub the mixture through your fingers until all the butter has gone(fine breadcrumbs, the book’s’ll tell ya). Make sure your sultanas are well drained of any leftover liquid and stir them through the flour mix. Now make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the cream, milk and vanilla. stir everything together until you have a pretty wet dough. Tip onto a heavily floured surface and knead for a minute, sprinkling liberally with flour so the dough is good enough to handle without your hands being too sticky, but is still wet inside. Roll to a thickness of about 2 inches (if you want my big, generous scones) or thinner if you’re wanting a more dainty confection. Cut them out using a round pastry cutter (mine had a 3’’ diameter) and transfer them onto a lined baking tray. Paint some egg wash(lightly whisked egg) on the tops of them and sprinkle with sugar. Bake them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, let them cool slightly then crack on with clotted cream and jam. Tidy.