What scone is scone

Remember the good old days of the old fashioned "tea room" ? These national institutions still thrive and three classic establishments; Confeitaria Nacional in Lisbon, Angelina´s on Rue de Rivoli in Paris and ooh, Betty´s in Harrogate, England come to mind. Scones, cream teas, nibbly type cakes, tartines and custard tarts have all become national treasures in these turn of the century salons.With the revived and rising interest in home baking, it´s time for a tea room twist;  yesterday´s patisserie tidbits are now becoming today´s new taste sensations. Bring a bit of phoney super-sconey Bollywood to your party this Christmas. Move aside slowness, and with a little heroics and a bit of eena meen deeka you will be the hostess with the mostess.Here´s the good news. Don´t leave everything to the last minute. Get ahead of the entertaining game and stay on top  by making something now that can be frozen for up to one month, de-frosted and then re-heated in 5 minutes.

Indian scones with chilli coriander jam (V) 
You can use any chutney or other preserves in these scones. The choice is yours.
I chose Chilli coriander jam and Green tomato relish.
can be frozen for up to 1 month

Makes 20, ready in 35 minutes

250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
125g butter
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 green chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
20g fresh coriander
1 large egg beaten
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons  black mustard seeds
10 fresh curry leaves ( you can used dried such as Barts
Home made chutney of your choice
Pre-heat the oven to 200C / fan180C/Gas 6
Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and garam masala into a large bowl.
add the butter and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the ginger, chillies,coriander, egg and buttermilk and mix well to form a soft dough. Roll out on a floured service to about 2cm thick. use a3.5cm plain round cutter to cut out 20 scones, re-rolling the trimmings as you go.Put on the baking sheets.
Brush each scone with milk, then top half with mustard seeds and the rest with 1 curry leaf. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until risen and golden. Set aside to cool slightly. halve each scone and sandwich together with the chutney. Serve warm or cold.