Growing up one of the things I looked forward to the most was visiting with my Grannie and Grandpa.  My Grannie was English, born and raised.  My Grandpa was Scot!  Over the years Grannie Guinnes (McInnes) adapted her way of cooking to accommodate my stubborn, but joyful Grandpa.  She made what always seemed to me to be traditional Scottish recipes.  One that I loved the most was her scones.  She would show me how and eventually I convinced her to write down the recipe for me.

The funny (and probably very common) thing about her recipe was that these were not standard measurements.  Her “cup” was an old tea cup with a broken handle.  She measured it according to where the ingredient came on the pattern.  Her teaspoon was an actual spoon used for tea.  When she said dessert spoon, well that was a little bigger.  But not as big as the soup spoons.

 

Now, when I make this recipe it makes me smile because it is never ever as good as hers.  Here I am ready with all the ingredients ready to go.  I will end up having to add more buttermilk or more flour at some point.  My cup isn’t the same as hers

 

Handling the dough as little as possible, I mixed it together, pat it flat, and shaped it somewhat into a rectangle.  That was then cut into smaller rectangles and finally triangles.  And now they are ready to be cooked.

As a child,  and well into adulthood, THIS is all that I knew scones to be.  I had never bought a scone, never had any idea that flaky triangles sold at Starbucks even existed.  My Grannie’s scones were cooked on a dry griddle.   Don’t they look amazing?

 

Here is the best part.  When you are done cooking them, you get to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labour (ok, it really is a very simply and quick recipe, but no one needs to know that).  Grannie and I always sat down to have them with butter and homemade jam.  She would pour me a little tea with A LOT of milk and sugar.  Today I am having it with coffee.  But honestly, I miss the tea.  A LOT.  I miss my Grannie too.  Here’s to you Ethel McInnes.  Thank you for sharing your joy with me.

 

 

 

Scones

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 dessert spoon (table spoon maybe) butter

1 dessert spoon lard (or shortening)

enough buttermilk to make a soft dough (probably around 1/2 – 3/4 cup)

Cut butter and lard into dry ingredients and then add the buttermilk, stirring as little as possible.

Turn onto floured surface.  Pat into a rectangle approximately 1.2 inch think.  Cut into shapes.

Cook on a dry griddle set to 300-350 until dark brown, flip and repeat.