August is the month when we celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week – not that we need an excuse for this quintessential English tradition.
I think this Henry James quote sums it up perfectly:
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty sandwiches (including, of course, thinly sliced cucumber sandwiches), as well as scones served with clotted cream and preserves, and a tempting selection of cakes and pastries. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from silver tea pots into delicate bone china cups. So civilised! Nowadays however, in the average suburban home, afternoon tea is likely to be just a mug of tea with a biscuit dunked in it! Sacrilege!
As a lifelong fan of the afternoon tea tradition, I do like to indulge myself from time to time with a trip to one of London’s finest hotels or visit a traditional tearoom in the countryside. The Devonshire Cream Tea is famous worldwide and consists of scones, strawberry jam and the vital ingredient, Devon clotted cream, as well as cups of hot tea served in china teacups.
While mouthwateringly delicious, scones loaded with butter, jam and cream aren’t exactly tummy-friendly treats, which is why we have put together a healthier (but no less tasty) version. You can find the recipe below and download it for free.
The recipe is for gluten-free scones, with chia jam and coconut whipped cream, but of course you can substitute the coconut cream with thick Cornish clotted cream if you’re are able to eat dairy products.
An indulgence with health benefits
You can enjoy our scones knowing that it contains ingredients rich in nutrients.
Ground almonds – add protein and healthy fats to the recipe; almonds are also rich in vitamin E and magnesium which have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.
Chia jam – this homemade easy jam contains omega 3-rich chia seeds, which also contain healthy fats and proteins to stabilise blood sugar levels making it a really healthy alternative to regular jam which is laden with sugar and void of nutrients.
If you are avoiding caffeine, you can replace the traditional cup of loose-leaf black tea that’s drunk at afternoon tea for a cup of my hand-blended herbal Tummy Tea containing herbs and spices that help to calm down and soothe a bloated, irritated tummy. The ingredients are ginger root, liquorice root, fennel seed, aniseed, cardamom seed, fenugreek seed and black peppercorns, in individual bio-degradable pyramids.
If you have any questions about any of our products, or a digestive and gut health issue, please get in touch.
