TEATIME TREATS

 

We’re not big into cricket here at Wipe Easy, but we are doing our bit by keeping half an eye on the Cricket World Cup, currently underway in Australia and New Zealand. 

Cricket is one of those games you either love or hate, get or don’t get, but if there is one thing that unites everyone, that’s the traditional cricket tea.  Tasty sandwiches made with fresh white bread and butter, followed by cream cakes and scones - who could resist?  Certainly not us!

Although it’s not quite cricket season here in the UK, there’s absolutely no reason to delay making your own version of the cricket tea and enjoying it one Sunday afternoon with your family. 

Ideally, it should be accompanied by some sunshine so you can sit outside in a garden or in the countryside.  However, if we wait for sunshine to do all the things we’d like to do, we’d never get anywhere.  So don’t worry if it rains, just bring your cricket tea indoors and enjoy the food of summer, if not the weather. (You shouldn’t need to worry about all the clearing up, thanks to your Wipe Easy tablecloth!)

We’ve consulted a few sporting enthusiasts to ask what constitutes the perfect cricket tea.  While it’s fair to say there was much debate, the overall consensus seemed to be relatively straight-forward:

  • A selection of sandwiches but egg mayonnaise is a ‘must’
  • Pork pies and Scotch eggs, possibly a sausage roll or two
  • Crisps, selection of
  • Lemon drizzle or Victoria sponge cakes
  • Scones with jam and cream

It wasn’t a very scientific survey, but we expect it’s fairly spot-on for most people.  We did consult several cricketing blogs, just to be sure, and it seems that the main rule is that everything must be home-made. Packets of Mr Kipling cakes are, apparently, not allowed.  White bread, rather than wholemeal, and crusts off – the details are important, it seems.  Plus, the other factor which determines the success or otherwise of a great cricket tea is quantity – there should be enough for everyone to try a bit of everything. 

These seem like good rules to us, and they shouldn’t apply only to the cricketing community.  So why not plan your own little cricket tea and make it a social occasion for family and friends – you don’t have to watch a match, play a match or even talk about cricket…unless your favourite team make it to the final.  Then a nice cricket tea will definitely be in order (accompanied by a glass of bubbly, to wash it down!)

How to make delicious scones 

This scone recipe from BBC Good Food is really easy to make and they taste wonderful, especially if eaten fresh.  We like them when they’re still slightly warm from the oven!

Ingredients

350g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting

¼ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder

85g butter, cut into cubes

3 tbsp caster sugar

175ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

squeeze lemon juice

beaten egg, to glaze

jam and clotted cream, to serve

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2. Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.

3. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep.

4. Take a 5cm cutter (smoothedged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. By this point you’ll probably need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.

5. Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/fan140C/gas 3) for a few mins to refresh.

Posted in: GENERAL FOOD