Top 8 scones tested

MOTHER’S Day is close and an indulgent breakfast is a terrific start to the day.

A breakfast tray or a table set with the best tea set, a napkin and some flowers will let her know she’s appreciated.

For this survey we looked at scones and were glad to see it’s one product that has been left alone by so called convenience food makers. It seems a formula has yet to be found which keeps them fresh and tasty, so they have to be baked fresh.

What is available in most shops is baked on the day in bakeries, some of which are in-house in supermarkets. In most cases there is a variety of scones on offer in each — usually a brown, white and fruit.

If you cannot buy them on the day, the brown version keeps better, and is delicious with a slice of black pudding. Try Caherbeg Free Range Pork, produced by Willie Allshire in Rosscarbery. Last week, it won silver for his black pudding, the highest award ever given to an Irish company by prestigious Le Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goute-Boudin.

Scones freeze well and will defrost quickly in the morning, but making scones is easy and I have a quick recipe on my blog rozcrowley.com. You can prepare them the night before and bake them for just 15 minutes before serving. Whipped cream and jam competes with butter and jam for the favourite accompaniment.

Nash 19 to Go, Princes St, Cork, €1.30 each

Three types of scone here were all delicious. The nutty fruit one was substantial with good quality fruit, the plain brown topped with sunflower seeds was made from good, coarse flour, while the white had a satisfying flavour crumb with a moderate amount of fruit. The best flavours all round.

Score: 8

ABC Bakery English Market, Cork, 75c each, 3 for €2.10

Three scones on offer here were a plain brown topped with seeds, a white dried fruit and a white cherry version. The latter was a big, soft scone, lighter and quite different in texture to the other two. The white fruit scone comes with plenty of fruit, and the brown is quite nutty, good with a drizzle of olive oil. Tasters liked these.

Score: 7.5

Quay Co-op, Sullivans Quay, Cork, Ballincollig and Carrigaline, €1 each/ 80c for plain white

Four scones on offer cover a few health preferences. A raspberry scone had good fruit, but the mixture was quite heavy. The gluten-free version had good texture and flavour for this type. The spelt and the brown worked best for all our tasters for texture and flavour.

Score: 7.25

SuperValu in-house bakery (Merchants Quay, Cork), 85c each

We found three types of scone here, a plain white, a white fruit and plain brown. Each was quite dense in texture, but the brown one was nicely nutty and wholesome. The white had a gentle sweetness and the fruit scone was much the same with a little added fruit.

Score: 7

The Natural Foods Bakery Paul Street & Blackrock Village, Coal Quay and Mahon Point farmers markets, €1 each

On offer here were a white fruit scone and a plain white one, but there is often a brown version. Good flavours, just a little heavy, but proper, substantial scones.

Score: 7

Bracken’s Bakery Mallow Road and Paul Street, Cork, 95c each

Three on offer here, the white plain and fruit scone worked best, the brown being a bit undercooked and heavy. A decent size, big enough to share.

Score: 6.75

Lidl in-house bakery, 39c each

A red berry scone had just a few of what appeared to be dried cranberries which were quite bitter, but none the worse for that. The texture of this and the regular fruit scone was on the heavy side, but not much more than more expensive other brands.

Score: 6.75

Marks & Spencer, 95c each

A plain brown, plain white and white fruit are on offer here and are baked in-house. All three lacked flavour and were heavy in the mouth, the brown being the best of the three.

Score: 6