Raymond Blanc’s Fruit Scones Recipe

This Fruit Scones recipe by Raymond Blanc yields perfectly light, golden scones — ideal served warm with rich clotted cream and a generous spoonful of strawberry jam.

30 Mins 10 Mins Easy Makes at least 12 scones

Image: Raymond Blanc

Ingredients

500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
35g baking powder
a pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter, cold
100g caster sugar
150g golden sultanas
170ml whole milk
2 eggs (preferably organic or free-range), beaten

For the egg wash

1 egg
1 tablespoon double cream or whole milk

Method

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, ready for the scones.
Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, and add the salt. Chop the cold butter into cubes (each about 1cm). Add these to the flour mixture and rub to create a crumble-like texture. This will take 5-7 minutes. Next, add the sugar and sultanas and combine.
Now, in a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the eggs until fully combined. Add this to the flour mixture and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes until it is a smooth dough patience, patience! (Don’t overwork the dough as it will strengthen the gluten in the flour and make the texture too tight.)
Dust a board with a little flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 2cm. Dip a 5cm diameter cutter in flour and cut out a scone. Place the scone on the lined tray, upside down (flat-side up). Repeat this process, cutting as many scones as you can, and dipping the cutter in the flour to prevent it sticking.
Combine the remaining trimmings to form a ball of dough. Roll this out to about a 2½cm thickness again and repeat the process, cutting the final scones and placing them upside down on the lined tray.
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg in a bowl just enough to break it up. Add double cream (or milk) and whisk until smooth. (Egg wash will give the scones a rich amber glaze, and the addition of cream adds shine.) Lightly brush the top of each scone with egg and leave to prove at room temperature for 30-35 minutes. (Activated by warmth, the baking powder creates thousands of tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide in the dough, increasing the volume.)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 32.
Brush each scone with egg wash once more this will give the perfect shine! Bake for about 10 minutes. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.
Serve the scones at room temperature. As for the order of cream and jam, I’ll avoid the squabbles and leave it to you….

Recipe notes by Raymond Blanc

Making scones was one of my first tasks when I came to England. This strange pastry was unknown to me, but after a few failures, I came to enjoy making them, and certainly eating them with delicious clotted cream and strawberry jam. Magnifique!

As for the debate about which goes first on the scone-cream or jam – I’m handing over to Adam Johnson, my right-hand man and a Cornishman.

‘There’s Cornish clotted cream and there’s Devonshire clotted cream,” says Adam. Devonshire clotted cream has more fat, so it’s firm and more like butter. Devonshire people put their cream on first, and prefer raspberry jam as it’s very runny.

The Cornish use strawberry jam, and this goes on first. Their clotted cream is runny, they like lots of it, and put it on top of the jam.’ I like them with clotted cream and then jam, but don’t wish to spark a civil war. For strawberry jam, please see my recipe on page 280.

About this recipe

This Raymond Blanc’s Fruit Scones recipe is from the book Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden: Seasonal recipes from my place to yours by Raymond Blanc

Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden is a celebration of seasonal ingredients grown and cooked in the gardens of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons by Raymond Blanc.

As winter gives way to longer, lighter days, Raymond invites readers to embrace spring and summer cooking at its most vibrant — drawing on freshly harvested produce from your own garden or the best seasonal ingredients found locally. It is a reminder that the rhythm of the kitchen and the garden are deeply intertwined.

“I am still in awe,” says Raymond Blanc, “of the magic of the garden and the miracles of the kitchen, and the wondrous connection between them.” This philosophy runs through every page, as he shares both simple, trusted recipes and the story behind the creation of his renowned kitchen gardens at Le Manoir — one of Britain’s most celebrated culinary destinations.

Across more than 90 recipes, the book captures the full cycle of the year’s harvest, offering everything from quick midweek inspiration to elegant dishes for entertaining. Recipes include a simple Kitchen Garden Omelette, Salmon and Beetroot Tartare, Roast Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Salsa Verde, and a Baked Peach and Almond Crumble.

Whether you are cooking in a flour-dusted apron or planning your next planting season, Raymond Blanc guides you with warmth, precision and unmistakable charm, bringing the garden ever closer to the plate.

Buy it on Amazon.co.uk

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About Raymond Blanc

Raymond Blanc is the Chef Patron of Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons – a country house hotel and 2 Michelin starred restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire.

Discover more about Raymond Blanc at raymondblanc.com