Submitted by Editor on Sat, 09/06/2012 - 14:19

I have been dying to make this recipe for months, but unfortunately the typical Scottish weather just hasn’t been good enough for something quite so summery. When we finally got some sun towards the end of May, I took the opportunity to make the most of the first of the Scottish strawberry crop.

Scottish strawberries should now be slowly starting to appear in the shops, and making jam out of them is a great way to enjoy them throughout the winter. Contrary to what many people think, making jam is not difficult and the result is ten times tastier than anything you’ll buy in the shops.

Scones are also not difficult when you know how. The key to this recipe is working first, and ensuring that your dough is nice and moist, almost sticky. The more you manipulate the dough, the less likely the scones are to rise, so get them in the oven fast!

For the jam

Makes 3 small jars, preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 25 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients
750g strawberries (as fresh as possible)
500g jam sugar (jam sugar contains more pectin)
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 an orange
140ml Pimm’s

Method
Place 2 saucers in the freezer to be used later. Hull the strawberries and cut them in half if they are particularly large. Place them in a large saucepan (the mixture will increase in volume when boiling) and crush gently with a potato masher until the strawberries start to release their juices. If you like large pieces of strawberry in your jam, be sure not to mash them too much.

Stir in the sugar, and place over a low heat. Keep stirring until the sugar crystals dissolve, but be careful not to let the mixture boil.

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Once the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon and orange juice and increase the heat. When the mixture reaches a rapid boil (105 ºC on a preserving thermometer or the point at which the mixture boils continuously and starts to increase in volume), boil for approximately 20 minutes or until the jam reaches a moderate set.

To test whether the jam has reached a moderate set, place 1 tsp of it onto one of the frozen saucers and put it into the fridge for a couple of minutes. Remove from the fridge and push your finger through the jam. If the jam wrinkles, it is ready. If not, boil it for a further 5 minutes and try again.

Once the jam is ready, remove it from the heat and skim off any foam or scum that has gathered on the surface. Leave to cool for 30 minutes in the pan or until the jam starts to thicken slightly. (NB: This is the perfect time to make the scones.)

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When cooled, stir in the Pimm’s and spoon it into sterilised* jars. Seal immediately. When you first add the Pimm’s the jam may seem quite liquid. Do not worry. Once in the jars, the jam will set again.

Once sealed, the jam will last up to a year in a cool, dark place.

*To sterilise the jars, wash them in warm soapy water before placing in a hot oven. Remove the jars from the oven and fill while warm. Be sure not to touch the insides of the jar so as to avoid any unwanted bacteria entering them.

For the scones

Makes 12, preparation time 10 minutes, baking time 10–12 minutes

Ingredients
400g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
100g butter
50g caster sugar
250ml buttermilk

Method
Preheat the oven to 220 ºC/200 ºC fan. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cream of tartar. Sifting the flour adds extra air to the mixture and will ensure that the scones rise.

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Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar before adding the buttermilk. Quickly work the ingredients together to form a dough.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times by hand. Roll out to a depth of around 4 cms and stamp out rounds with a 6-cm cutter. Reshape the remaining dough and continue cutting out rounds until all the dough is used up. Be careful not to handle the dough too much or the scones may not rise.

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Place the scones on a lightly floured baking tray and brush the tops with buttermilk, if you have any left over. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the scones are risen and starting to colour on top.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

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Serve the scones with a generous serving of the strawberry and Pimm’s jam, a dollop of clotted cream and a glass of Pimm’s. Even if the sun isn’t shining, you’ll never notice!

BUTTERMILK SCONES WITH STRAWBERRY AND PIMM'S JAM

For the jam

For the scones