About Time You Tried: London’s Best SconesBy Kathleen Fleming
There’s simply nothing better than a warm, fruity scone. To celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week, we found London’s best scones – dig in:
1. Best Traditional Scone: The National Gallery
Art gallery tea rooms are not renowned for their baked goods normally dry and unexciting. But with lovely views over Trafalgar Square, The National Dining Rooms set atop of The National Gallery provide a beautiful and thoroughly traditional setting for tea and a scone. The plain scones with the obligatory conserves and cream are the perfect size, buttery and just how scones should be. The National Dining Rooms also serve the best value afternoon tea – for £17.50 you get a serious scone feast, plus all the trimmings.
2. Best Fruity Scone: Dean Street Townhouse
With its slightly fruity history, it makes sense that this Georgian townhouse serves up our favourite fruity scone. Dean Street’s scones are not only very fruity, but also very buttery. As one is never enough, spend an afternoon sinking deep into a comfy armchair as you make your way through a basket of them, topped with berry jam and cream. A perfect way to spend an afternoon.
For nut lovers, Gail’s bakes a mean Canadian drop scone (slightly flatter than a traditional scone). It’s packed with pecans and topped with a sweet maple glaze and for what it lacks in scone-height, it makes up for in taste. Although breaking with scone tradition, we think even the haughtiest “sconnoisseur” wouldn’t turn their nose up at a nutty drop scone with tea.
4. Best Gluten-Free Scone: 108 Pantry
Gluten-Freers rejoice – the afternoon tea menu at 108 Pantry even includes gluten-free scones. Tasting no different to the glutenous version, and unlike many dreadfully dry gluten-free baked goods, these are soft, delicious, melt-in-the-mouth scones. If you are hungry and want to go all out, they serve gluten-free sandwiches, cakes and pastries as well. Wash it all down with a glass of fizz.
5. Best Sharing Scone: Le Pain Quotidien
Enormous is the only possible word to describe LPQ’s scone. These big boys are perfect for sharing and are served warm with a choice of jams, butter and clotted cream. If you fancy something a little sweeter and more gluttonous, ask for their specaloos spread which goes rather well with a warm scone (also likely to lead to a purchase of at least one jar of said spread). Plus, LPQ don’t just reserve their scones for the afternoon – hello, giant scone for breakfast.
