Traditional British Scones

A short history of the British scone

The scone has a longer history than most people realize. The word likely traces back to the Scottish "scon," possibly from a Dutch word meaning a fine white bread. The original Scottish scone was a flat, griddle-cooked bread cut into quarters. The oven-baked, lightly sweetened version that we know today became popular in England in the 19th century, alongside the rise of afternoon tea.

By the late 1800s, the scone had a settled place on the British tea table. Plain or fruit, served warm, with cream and jam.

The afternoon tea tradition

Afternoon tea, the meal we are usually thinking about when we talk about a "proper" scone, was popularized by Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, in the 1840s. The story goes that she got hungry between lunch and dinner and started having a small bite with her tea. The habit spread, and a structured afternoon tea emerged: tea, sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and a small selection of cakes.

The scone became the centerpiece. Not the showiest item on the table, but the one that defined the meal.

Cream first or jam first?

This is the great regional debate. In Devon, the tradition is cream on the scone first, then jam on top. In Cornwall, it is jam first, then cream. Both regions feel strongly about it. We are not picking sides.

Our take on the tradition

Our Royal British scones are served the way they were meant to be: with housemade Devonshire cream and lemon curd. We make the cream slow and low, the way it has been done for generations. The lemon curd is bright and tangy and balances the rich cream perfectly.

If you want the full experience, find us on a day when the Royal British is on the menu. Order a scone, a pot of Teapigs Earl Grey, and settle in for a few minutes. That is the way it was meant to be done.

Welcome to a Savannah version of an old British tradition.