Light & fluffy Devon rhubarb & ginger scones (2024 recipe)

AllBehind the scenesDevon
Written By Simon Cox
Rhubarb & ginger scones with cream and jam on scalloped vintage plates with flower design, ivory-handled knives on a table
 

Introducing our Devon Rhubarb & Ginger Scones recipe

When I was 10 my great-granny Phyllis taught me the secret to making exceptional scones. A classic British afternoon tea treat, eaten with clotted cream and jam.

Phyl lived in Devon and Cornwall most of her life and there wasn’t much she didn’t know about scones, pies and pasties. Her secret for soft, light scones was simple, and I can hear her saying it now:

“Don’t touch the mix, for heaven’s sake, use a knife!”

This trick works for pastry too!

In order to get the dough to rise it needs to be handled delicately and stay nice and cool. She maintained that my hands would warm the dough too much, making it sticky and compact the mix. The wet ingredients should be stirred into the mix with a butter knife, and the dough hardly touched from this point on.

Ever so lightly bring it together into a ball and press to the required depth.

As rhubarb is in season and with the Queen’s platinum jubilee almost upon us, I thought I’d share with you my idea of a Devon classic; Rhubarb and Ginger Scones with Homemade Rhubarb Jam.

The recipe makes 14 (or possibly less if you compact the mixture too much!)

 
Overhead shot of a rhubarb & ginger scone with cream and jam on a vintage plate with flower design ivory-handled knife
 

Wildings is a branding & website design agency in Devon. Based in Torquay in South Devon we design standout branding and websites for small businesses like garden designers, interior designers, florists and architects (garden, interiors and lifestyle brands). If you’d like to find out more, explore our branding or website design for small businesses or get in touch with our branding and website design studio in Torquay →

 
 

Rhubarb & ginger scone recipe

Scone mix

  • 750g self-raising flour

  • 1 tsp baking power

  • 185g caster sugar

  • 185g butter

  • 200g rhubarb (peeled and diced finely)

  • 30g stem ginger (diced finely)

  • 300ml milk (plus extra for brushing)

Jam

  • 200g rhubarb

  • 200g caster sugar

  • 200ml water

Cream

  • Devon clotted - I especially like Gayes Creamery

Method for rhubarb & ginger scones

1. Heat the oven to 180°C

2. Sieve dry ingredients together in a bowl

3. Rub in butter till it resembles fine crumbs

4. Finely dice rhubarb and stem ginger and mix till coated in flour

 
Flour being sprinkled into a cream mixing bowl with fresh rhubarb and ginger on a white tablecloth

Sieve the dry ingredients together

 
Woman rubbing in butter into flour with her fingers in a mixing bowl with fresh rhubarb and ginger on a white tablecloth

Rub in the butter

 
Woman adding peeled and diced fresh rhubarb to mixed flour and butter in a cream mixing bowl on a white tablecloth

Peel and dice the rhubarb

 
Woman adding stem ginger from a small bowl with a teaspoon to a rhubarb, flour and butter scone mix in a cream mixing bowl

Add the stem ginger

 

5. Add milk and mix together gently using a knife

6. Lightly, hardly touching, bring the dough together

7. On a floured surface press down until 4cm thick

8. Use a cutter (8cm) and cut out the scones

 
Woman pouring milk to flour, butter, rhubarb & ginger scone mix in a cream mixing bowl on a white table with fresh rhubarb

Pour in the milk

Woman bringing a rhubarb and ginger scone mix together with an ivory-handled knife in a mixing bowl on a white tablecloth

Bring the mix together with a knife

Woman bringing together rhubarb & ginger scone mix in a mixing bowl lightly by hand

Hardly touching bring together

Woman cutting out rhubarb & ginger scone shapes from scone mix with a scalloped scone cutter

Cut out the scones

 

9. Place on a lined baking tray and brush tops with milk

10. Cook for 20 minutes until light brown

11. While. the scones are cooking in the oven, make the jam. Add the rhubarb, sugar and water to the pan and bring them together, stir till thick and all the liquid has evaporated. The jam should be thick and sticky.

12. Leave to cool jam and scones to cool

 
Woman wearing white Fitbit, blue apron and ring mixing rhubarb jam in a cabbage design bowl with a star spoon by hand

Rhubarb Jam

Rhubarb & ginger scones cooling on a rack after baking in oven

Cool on a wire rack

Spreading rhubarb & ginger scones with clotted cream & rhubarb jam

Load up the scones with cream and jam

Warm rhubarb & ginger scone with cream & jam ready to eat

Eat while still warm

 

Serving suggestion for rhubarb and ginger scones

Serve while still warm, with cream and jam.

Cue the debate on how to pronounce ‘scone’ (s-gone / s-kone) and whether the cream or jam goes first!

  • Devon way: cream then jam

  • Cornwall way: jam then cream

However you take your rhubarb and ginger scones, enjoy, and don’t foget to put the kettle on.

Recipe adapted from: National Trust Book of Scones

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Simon Cox

I’m Simon Cox and with my wife Rachael Cox we run Wildings Studio, a creative brand studio in Devon, UK offering branding, website design & brand video.

We create magical brands that your ideal customers rave about; and leave you feeling empowered and inspired. Our approach blends both style and substance, helping you go beyond your wildest expectations.

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