Another British institution that you don’t have to miss out on is the cream tea!
First the bad news: most (though not all) shop-bought scones contain dairy products, so you are most likely going to have to bake them yourself. There are plenty of good recipes. The one below is slightly adapted from an excellent book available from Animal Aid, entitled Another Dinner Is Possible. I know this one works!
Ingredients for 15 scones
350g self raising flour
1tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
40g caster sugar (you could reduce it a bit!)
75g margarine
1tsp grated lemon zest
50g sultanas
150-175g soya milk, plus some to glaze
Pre-heat oven to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7.
Sift the flour and baking powder, then stir in sugar.
Add spoonfuls of margarine and rub it in with fingertips. Stir in lemon zest and sultanas. Gradually add milk to make a soft dough, and knead lightly by hand.
Roll out – not too thinly! – onto a floured surface. Cut into rounds with a cutter, place on greased baking sheet, brush with soya milk and bake for about 10-15 mins until golden and risen. Cool on wire rack.
Now to the big question: what do you use for thick cream? Well, there is a vegan product that you can buy from some healthfood shops called Soyatoo. It is marketed in two versions – one in a carton that you can whip up yourself, or alternatively, ready whipped in an aerosol can. Another brand of ‘squirty’ soya cream that has recently appeared in the UK is Schlagfix, which is available from some health food shops, as well as online from Alternative Stores and other specialist websites.
I’ve known some vegans use dairy-free vanilla ice cream on top of the jam. And there are lots of creative combinations using ingredients such as creamed coconut, silken tofu, icing sugar, cashew nuts, etc.
But my choice, without a doubt, is Tofutti plain cream cheese (also available from health food stores). It’s not sweet, but it combines perfectly with the sweetness of your jam and scone to provide just the thing for a Sunday afternoon summer treat in the garden.
