Looking for the perfect scone recipe? Want to make cheese scones? Try our best recipes for sweet and savoury scones – plain and fruit-studded, small and large. Plus, we have some ideas to make American-style shortcakes that are more like scones than biscuits.Â
Ingredients
- Flour, butter and milk or buttermilk are the core ingredients
Simple scones for afternoon tea
Making your own scones is so easy with this quick and simple recipe. Make a batch to share with family and friends at the weekend. Jam first or cream? It's up to you.

Strawberry shortcake
Split a crumbly, lemon-infused shortcake in two, sandwich together with cream, strawberries and jam. The British take on the American classic!

Gluten free scones
With fruit or not, scones are a must-have on any afternoon tea spread. Make yours gluten free by using widely available gluten-free flour and xanthan gum.

Cheddar and pecan scones
Whip up a batch of these nutty savoury scones for an easy weekend treat to serve friends and family.

Cherry scones
Stud fluffy scones with glacé cherries for easy afternoon tea bakes that the whole family will love.

Walnut and roquefort scones
These walnut and roquefort scones combine a classic flavour combination of blue cheese and walnuts with one of our favourite tea time treats. Serve warm and slathered in melting butter.

Peanut butter and jelly scones
Peanut butter and jelly is a classic American flavour combination. This combined with an English classic to make peanut butter and jelly scones is sure to be a new favourite.

Blueberry shortcakes
In this take on the classic afternoon tea treat, we use American-style buttermilk shortcake which is a cousin of the scone. The filling is a simple blueberry compote and mascarpone cream.

John Torode's Wensleydale scones
Authentic Wensleydale is only made at the Wensleydale Creamery in Yorkshire. Make these scones for a quick, savoury snack – they'll become a crowd favourite in no time.

Pink rhubarb shortcakes
American shortcakes are more like scones than biscuits. Usually filled with strawberries and cream these pink rhubarb ones make for a great British twist.

Cheshire cheese and walnut scones
Our freezable cheese scones take just 30 minutes to bake and make a great emergency snack that cooks straight from frozen. The toasted walnuts give them a little extra crunch.

Paprika and manchego scones
Manchego cheese and smoked paprika give these bite-sized scones a very grown-up twist. Serve them with your favourite meal or just simply have them on their own for a quick snack.

Sage and apple scones
Savoury scones make a great alternative to serve for an afternoon tea with some good cheese and chutney. These ones are flavoured with sage and given extra texture from grated apple.

Spring onion, cheshire and mustard scone wedges
This savoury scone recipe is easy to make and ready in under an hour. Whether you're expecting guests or want to treat a loved one, this spring onion scone with cheshire and mustard is perfect for entertaining and an easy sharer.

Maple syrup and smoked-bacon scones
Scones for starters? Greg Marchand of Frenchie in Covent Garden gives us the secret to his light and fluffy scones infused with maple syrup and studded with smoked bacon.
