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Is there anything more British than afternoon tea?! Vintage crockery, old-school teapots and a three-tier cakestand full of goodies – from finger sandwiches to cakes, pastries and of course the legendary scones! I love scones. Biting into these buttery goodies is one of the niceties of living on this island.

As a passionate hobby baker arriving in the UK, I obviously had my go at making scones. It ended in a total disaster. The normally fluffy teacakes turned out like little rock-solid stones! Unbelievably embarrasing. That’s when I realized that the whole magic about scones lies not in their simple yet fulfilling taste, but in their texture. This buttery crumbly consistency is essential to a proper scone.

So after my initial failure at making scones I didn’t really feel like messing up another batch. No competitive spirit, no proving myself – I’d secretly given up on ever making perfect scones. Yes, I had shrugged it off as one of those things – alongside with über-perfect macarons and proper sourdough bread – that I just wouldn’t ever master. Fine. No problem. No one’s gonna find out anyway.

But then… I got this commission for writing an article on afternoon tea. Alongside explaining the concept and listing some nice places in London, I also had to include a recipe for – scones! I felt hot and cold flushes rushing through my body. Damn, just when you think you’ve managed to conceal something it catches you in bright daylight.

So, the recipe testing began.

Now let me tell you, it really isn’t as hard as I thought! In fact, all you need to watch is your kneading! Knead the dough like a bread or pizza dough and you’re doomed! Gently mix it and knead the dough very briefly for a few seconds and you’re onto a winner!

So, trust me and leave those frustration work-outs for another dough that requires some tough love. These scones are all about gentleness and care. ★

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I sometimes wonder why Chicory is not more of a beloved vegetable. It certainly has got the potential to rival the likes of leeks and lettuce. I have a feeling that people are often put off by Chicory’s bitterness, unfortunately so. They don’t know what they’re missing!

When I was little we regularly had chicory – or chicon as I know it. Most often my mum would prepare a chicory and apple salad – the sweetness of the apple would perfectly balance the bitterness of the chicon.  On other occasions we’d have a chicon gratin, covered in a thick bechamel sauce with slices of cooked ham and handfuls of cheese on it. Heaven.

I’ve never really come across much chicory in the UK. But my little fruit and veg shop up the road can be trusted to always surprise me with delights I’d nearly forgotten about! So when I caught sight of some chicory heads my heart jumped with joy! All the delicious dishes I could make with them, my head started racing. I settled on variations of the two dishes I loved from home: I made a chicory and beetroot salad, which was absolutely great except for the fact that the chicon turned out bright pink once it touched the beetroot. I also decided to bake with the chicons, but I instead of making my mum’s cheesy gratin I wanted to add a crunchy pastry dimension to my chicons. The idea for a Tarte Tatin was born.

I don’t know what is going on with me at the moment or what my body is trying to tell me, but I’ve been eating a hell of a lot of feta lately! Feta with butternut squash, feta in a savoury baklava, feta with beetroot – it must be because it’s the perfect ingredient to combine with autumn flavours.

So when I designed this Tarte Tatin in my mind, I decided it would need some feta. You see, once the chicoree is baked, it fully loses its bitterness and turns buttery in flavour, almost comparable to cooked leeks. It’s astonishing how versatile this vegetable is! So I figured that the mellow flavour of the chicon could do with a slight punch, a cheesy punch, a feta punch!

Just a quick word about Tarte Tatins. I am well aware of a Tarte Tatin phobia existing in many households. I myself suffered from this condition for a long time. Until I discovered that it’s as easy as pie (literally). All you need is a round cake tin! Forget the heavy ovenproof pans (if you’re blessed with one, use it by all means!), just use what you have! You can prepare the base – caramel and caramelizing of the chicory – in a heavy-bottomed pan, and then just transfer the whole lot over into a round cake tin. Just make sure you catch most of the caramel, otherwise it turns out quite diappointingly uncaramelized. But for the rest, easy peasy!

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I figured it’s been a while since I last posted a cake recipe, so I decided to take action. Never mind that it’s gone totally freezing and horrible in the UK and the thought of a warming oven sounds like a very reasonable idea. And oh, that comforting baking smell! I really think that the smell of freshly baked goods has a damn fine psychological effect – it must trigger some kind of happiness pheromones or whatever you call them!

In fact, I once had a housemate asking me to specifically bake when we’d have flat viewings, so that people would get a favourable impression of the premises… And it worked.

Now that I think of it, I have a hunch that I should get together with an estate agency and be paid to bake in flats that are a tough sell. I guarantee that would instantly turn their luck around! Anyone in the housing business reading this? Get in touch! Haha!

Right, so over to this week’s recipe. As you might notice, I’m still in fig land and making the most of their season!

I’ve only ever baked with dried figs – adding them to stollen and fruit loaves, but never actually used fresh figs in a cake. So, I’ve decided to make a very classic buttery cake base but give it a twist by adding orange blossom water to it.

It’s not that far fetched when you think that orange blossom water and figs are both used in Middle Eastern cuisine. And it worked, the combination is really nice. The pungeant perfume of the orange blossom is mellowed down by the buttery cake, and the crunchy texture of the figs’ popping seeds contrasts well with the softness of the cake sponge. A very pleasant recipe indeed! ★

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