There's nothing like a good cup of tea.  Add to that a delicious scone with strawberry jam and cream, a nice sunny day and a moment or two of peace and quiet and I am a VERY happy mummy.  Of course all these variables don't come together very often, so when they do I take full advantage. 

I've been meaning to make scones for a while now, when I was in England in April I found a dear little jar of culinary Cotswold lavender.

Apparently one has to be quite careful cooking with lavender. Moderation is the key otherwise you'll find you're eating something that reminds you of a large bar of Provencial soap.  I was careful, I only added a teaspoon (I think I would have been safe with a tablespoon) and I added lemon zest to give my scones a little extra zing. 

My mother and grandmother were awfully good at scones and they never used anything like buttermilk - or lavender come to that. I don't know what the secret was but I have to say these came very close!

3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder

1/4 cup of sugar (I used Sucanat here - I like the rich flavor)

pinch of salt

1-2 teaspoons of dried culinary lavender

zest of a lemon

8 oz of butter (cut into chunks)

1 1/4 cups of buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of milk to glaze the top of the scones

Heat the oven to 400F

Measure the flour, salt, sugar and zest into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the butter and pulse until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs.

Mix the buttermilk and eggs together and slowly add with the processor running.  Process until JUST combined - don't over do this.

Dump the mixture out onto a floured surface and gently bring everything together.

Roll out to a thickness of 1 - 1 1/2 inches.  Cut into the desired shaped and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

Gently wash the tops with the extra tablespoon of milk and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

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

When the scones are cool and your pot of tea has brewed, find your best cup and saucer.  Split the scone and fill it with jam and cream, butter and honey or whatever takes your fancy.  Find a quiet spot and let the cares of the day float away.