These Honey & Lavender Scones are light and delicate, sweetened with honey and fragranced with lavender. They're great served with whipped butter or cream and some tart lemon curd or raspberry jam, for a perfect summer picnic or afternoon tea.

Step 1: Ingredients and Equipment

This recipe makes around a dozen 3 inch diameter scones.

For the scones:

3 cups self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dried lavender, ground finely (buy culinary or organic lavender to make sure it is free of pesticides & other unwanted chemicals)
170 g cold unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup of buttermilk (or you can make an easy buttermilk substitute by taking 3/4 cup of milk and stirring in the juice of half a lemon. Leave it to sour for 15 minutes, then use as the recipe directs)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the glaze:

2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water
1 tsp dried lavender

Equipment:

Mortar and pestle, or similar for grinding the lavender
Scales or measuring cups
Mixing bowl
Small bowls
Spoons, knives, spatulas etc.
Whisk
Microwave/stovetop
Sieve
Rolling pin
Round scone/cookie cutter
Baking trays
Baking parchment

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4

(For anyone without scales, a good weight to volume conversion guide can be found here.)

Step 2: Weigh the Dry Ingredients

Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the bicarbonate of soda and salt, and give the whole thing a good whisk to aerate the flour and combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Step 3: Rub in the Butter

Cut your butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mix. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until there are no large pieces left and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the ground lavender.

Step 4: Add the Wet Ingredients

Make a dip in the centre of your flour mixture and pour in the egg, honey and 1/2 a cup of buttermilk.

Stir the mixture together with a flat bladed knife until a rough dough forms. If the the mixture seems too dry, add more buttermilk, a little at a time, until you have incorporated all of the flour.

Tip the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead it gently and briefly to bring it together into a ball. Handle the dough gently to keep your scones light and airy.

Step 5: Roll and Cut

Roll out your dough to around 3/4 of an inch thick. The dough will be fairly soft but should't be too sticky. If you have problems rolling it out put the dough in the fridge for half an hour or so to firm it up.

Cut out the scones with your cutter of choice, it's a good idea to dip the cutter in flour every so often to stop it getting too sticky with dough. Cut out as many scones as you can, then re-roll the scraps to cut out some more. Again, treating the dough gently is the best way to get fluffy scones, so use a light touch with the rolling pin, and try not to re-roll the scraps too many times.

Place your scones on a lined baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes. While the scones are cooking, prepare the glaze.

Step 6: Make the Glaze

For the glaze measure the 2 tbsps of honey and 1 tbsp of water into a bowl. Stir in the dried lavender.

Microwave the bowl in a couple of 20 second bursts until the glaze is hot and steaming. (You can also heat the glaze on the stovetop.)

Once the glaze is hot leave it to stand for five minutes to let the lavender infuse, then strain out the flowers.

Step 7: Glaze the Scones

When the scones are nearly done, after 12-15 minutes in the oven when they are nicely golden, remove the tray from the oven and brush the scones with the glaze.

Return the scones to the oven for another 2-3 minutes to set the glaze, then take them out and leave to cool a little.

Step 8: Eat!

Scones are best served warm, so eat soon after baking, or rewarm them in the oven or microwave.

To serve, split the scones in half and spread with clotted cream, whipped cream, or whipped butter (with some added honey of you're feeling decadent). They are also great filled with lemon curd. Eat them for breakfast, brunch or an afternoon snack with a nice cup of tea.