Homemade High Tea

Have you been to London?

About a month ago, I took my very first trip to London! One of my friends, Grace, is working there and she invited me to come stay with her. I was so excited! London has so much amazing history, architecture, and, of course, food!Grace and I visited all the famous London landmarks, such as the Tower of London, London Bridge, Trafalgar square and Piccadilly Circus. We even got to see the Crown Jewels and visit Buckingham Palace! But one of my favorite things we did was having High Tea at Fortnum and Mason.

What is High Tea?

Back in the 1700s, the working men of England would have an afternoon meal at about 3-4 pm. They would stand or sit in high stools, so this meal became known as “High Tea”. (English people love having tea with their meals). Eventually, this meal progressed so that it was more of a light meal for fancy aristocrats before they went to an evening show. Either way, I feel like high tea is an iconic tradition that I had to try!

Fortnum and Mason

Another one of our friends, Jenny, suggested that we go to Fortnum and Mason for High Tea. Fortnum and Mason started as a small store selling food products in the 1700s. It then progressed to selling various teas, cookies, cakes and, of course, holding a special High Tea for guests.Walking into Fortnum and Mason is like walking into an amusement park for foodies! There are all kinds of jarred jams and jellies, cookies, chocolates, fudge and a thousand different kinds of tea. I wanted to get so many things but it was time to take the elevator up to the Diamond Jubilee room for High Tea.The Diamond Jubilee room is a dream! Everything is white and Tiffany-colored green. We sat at our table and waited for our tray of goodies to arrive.

High Tea Favorites

We had so many awesome treats that day! Everything from rich chocolate cake, to passionfruit cheesecake, to treacle tart and a beautiful almond cake with gold flakes. But my favorite was the scones! How did they get these scones so perfectly golden brown, utterlight light and crisp, but not at all dense or gummy??? These scones were a delight! The scones were served with three kinds of toppings - a lemon curd, strawberry jam and clotted cream. Now the name “clotted cream” sounds kinda weird. But it’s actually just a thick cream, made by heating up full fat cows milk over a steam bath, then letting it cool down slowly so that the cream rises to the top and forms super thick clumps. It adds such a gorgeous, velvety creaminess to top the scones. Delish! As soon as I ate the scones, I knew that my family would love it! So I vowed to recreate the high tea experience when I got home.

Homemade High Tea

To share the high tea experience with my family, I decided to make a paleo, gluten free version of a scone. I used the Almond Flour Biscuit recipe from Wholesome Yum as my basis, but then added stevia to sweeten the scones, and vanilla extract for that extra gourmet flavor. The scones turned out fluffy and light, with just the right amount of sweetness.Now for the jam! I had some raspberries in the fridge and mandarin oranges on the counter. Two fruits that my kids love! So I merged the two and made super simple raspberry orange chia seed jam. It came together so quickly too! Last, but not least, the cream. I have seen clotted cream in some grocery stores, but in this case, I made it a little easier for me and just used whipped cream from the store. Another alternative you could use are cold coconut cream that has been whipped with a sweetener and vanilla extract.High tea wouldn’t be complete without tea but I didn’t want to give my kids real tea. Instead, I steeped lemon and mandarin orange slices in warm water. The kids loved pouring the “tea” in their cups and act like they were drinking real tea like the adults were!The scones were such a hit! One of my 3 year olds ate three scones! The combination of the fluffy scones and raspberry-orange jam was so refreshing and light, especially with a little cream on top. Yum!This was such a fun way to bring a little bit of my trip home and share it with my family. I think my kids loved it because now they are talking about how they want to go to London too! I hope you make this version of high tea at your house! Take a photo of your beautiful high tea and tag me @nourish_with_renata and using the hashtag #nourishwithrenata. I love to see what you make! If you love this almond flour scones recipe, check out these Strawberry Shortcakes (gluten free)!

Essential Kitchen Tools

Here are a few of my recommended kitchen tools for you to make this recipe.

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Pyrex bowls

Rubber spatulas

Measuring spoons

Wooden Cutting Board

Chef's Knife

Measuring cups

Cookie Sheets

Parchment paper

Whisk

Almond Flour Scones with Raspberry Orange Chia Seed Jam

Inspired by a favorite tea time treat, these little scones are adapted from the Wholesome Yum Almond Flour Biscuits recipe and paired with a quick and easy Raspberry Orange Chia Seed Jam. 

Ingredients:

For the scones:

• 2 cup Almond flour
• 2 tsp Gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt
• 2 tbsp stevia such as Pyure
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled slightly)

For the jam:

• One 6 oz package of fresh raspberries
• 4 mandarin oranges
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp agave nectar

Instructions;

1. For the jam, place the washed raspberries, the juice and zest of the mandarin oranges in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then use a spoon or fork to mash the raspberries.
3. Simmer for about 10 minutes till the raspberries are all smashed.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, and add in 2 tbsp chia seeds and 2 tbsp agave nectar. Stir well. If needed, taste the cooled jam and add more sweetener as desired.
5. For the scones, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a non-stick sheet on a baking sheet.
6. In a large bowl, add in all the flour, baking powder, stevia and salt.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the melted and cooled coconut oil, vanilla extract and eggs.
8. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
9. Using an ice cream scoop, take large tablespoons of the mixture, and place on the lined cookie shirt. Continue with the rest of the dough.
10. Gently flatten the scones to about 1/2 “ thick using your fingertips.
11. Optional: Sprinkle a pinch of stevia over the top of each scone.
12. Bake for about 15 minutes, until firm and golden. Cool on the baking sheet.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

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