Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a drop scone and an American pancake? ›

But "drop scones" in parts of the UK, in particular Scotland, where Balmoral castle is situated, are more like American pancakes than typical scones. Drop scones are thicker than American pancakes, and a little smaller.

Darren McGrady, who was a chef to the queen for 11 years, had earlier revealed that she liked to top the scones with jam, made with strawberries picked from the garden at Balmoral Castle, followed by clotted cream. “The queen was always jam first,” he said. “The jam went on followed by that delicious, clotted cream.”

Beat two eggs with 4 tablespoons of sugar and about one teacup (or 3/4 of a cup) of milk. Add 4 teacups of flour and mix in another teacup of milk "as required" Mix in 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 2 tablespoons of bicarbonate soda (baking soda) Fold in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

The name comes from they way the batter is, very simply “dropped” onto the hot cooking surface. Back in the day, a girdle would have been used to make pancakes and (girdle) scones.

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.

What the English call a pancake is what Americans would call a crepe, and American pancakes, which are fluffier and more leavened, are called "American pancakes." (Scottish pancakes, on the other hand, are fairly close to American pancakes.)

While you're unlikely to find authentic clotted cream in America, you can still purchase it online and at some major U.S. grocery stores. Just keep in mind that what you're buying is the FDA-approved, pasteurized version of clotted cream.

Well, according to Darren McGrady, a former chef who worked for the Royal Family for over 10 years, the Queen prefered jam first. He tweeted: “The Queen always had home-made Balmoral jam first with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.”

Sweet scones which may or may not have sultanas or other fruit in them would mainly be eaten at tea-time. The favourite would be with clotted cream and strawberry jam, or butter and jam. You can also have savoury ones, such as cheese scones, and you might have them more likely as a snack mid-morning and with butter.

"Just bread with jam and a little butter, usually strawberry jam. We'd make the jam at Balmoral castle the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens. Sandwich it together and cut it into small circles.

What was Queen Elizabeth's favorite dish? ›

Queen Elizabeth adhered to a daily teatime meal; her preference for delicate sandwiches with the crusts cut off was well-publicized. Her favorite version was reported to be smoked salmon with cream cheese. If the old adage is true, one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper.

Queen Elizabeth's Scrambled Eggs Included Nutmeg and Lemon

Queen Elizabeth enjoyed her scrambled eggs with lemon zest and nutmeg, so you know we're intrigued. When the Queen wanted some protein-packed food for breakfast, her chef would start with three organic eggs and a tablespoon of milk.

Drop scones (scotch pancakes)

According to Doug Windsor, the former national chef of Wales, the two cakes are made in a different way. He explained: "A Welsh cake is made from a dough, while a drop scone is made from a batter and is more of a pancake," he said.

American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser. This is not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.

American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser.

"The ingredients for British scones and the American biscuit are very similar," says Holly Snyder, senior culinary product developer at Amazon Fresh. "The proportions of those ingredients are the key difference; scones usually have less butter and more liquid than American biscuits."

Biscuits are made with buttermilk, no eggs and are flakier than their scone counterpart, apart from when they're not. Biscuits can be flaky but also incredibly soft and tender, made as drop scones.

If you're in the U.S., a biscuit is a round, flaky, buttery piece of leavened bread. In the U.K. a biscuit is a crisp cookie often enjoyed at tea time. A scone is a quick bread that is denser than a biscuit and can be either savory or sweet. Scones come in many shapes, like round or triangular.