Classic Scones

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large bowl and whisk briefly to combine.

Add the frozen butter cubes to the flour mixture and rub them in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible — work quickly so the butter stays cold.

Whisk together the cold milk, double cream, egg, and lemon juice in a jug, then pour it into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until a shaggy dough just comes together — do not overwork it.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, pat it into a rough rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, then rotate 90 degrees and repeat the fold once more to build layers.

Pat the dough to a thickness of 3 cm — do not use a rolling pin — then cut out rounds using a 6 cm fluted cutter dipped in flour, pressing straight down without twisting to encourage even rise.

Place the scones on the prepared tray. Whisk the egg yolk and milk together and brush the tops generously, avoiding the cut sides.

Chill the scones on the tray, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Bake for 16–18 minutes until deeply golden on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.