Traditional British Scone Recipe

After returning from a month spent in beautiful London, I have been craving the traditional British scones that are such a part of life there. The scones sold here in the US are quite unlike British scones: they are very sweet and incorporate all kinds of fruit and flavours (from blueberries to cinnamon to pears and cheese!). British scones are simple, perfectly balanced, and unparalleled, and to get them here in the US, I have no choice but to make them myself! There's also no better way to spend an autumn or winter afternoon than enjoying freshly baked scones, hot tea, and a cosy book....      

I've been using this recipe to craft my own traditional British scones since I've been back in the US, and they're pretty close to what I was able to get in the UK. I sometimes allow for a few twists in the ingredients (substituting in gluten-free flour, for example), and some people prefer plain rather than 'fruit' (sultana raisin) scones, so feel free to adjust as you prefer!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat/gluten free, if you prefer)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter (I use Kerry Gold unsalted because it's Irish and so soft and creamy!)
• Half a cup of sultana raisins (or just golden raisins if you can't find sultanas in the US... I haven't been able to)
• Three-quarters of a cup of milk (I usually use whole milk or even half-and-half to get richer scones)
• One egg yolk for glaze
• Fruit preserves and clotted cream for serving, if desired

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Mix the first three ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended. 'Cut' the butter into the dry mixture using either your hands (my choice!) or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly and there are no more large chunks of butter. Try to avoid warming the butter beforehand - you should use cold, firm butter for this step. This can be difficult when you use typical US butter, which is why I use Kerry Gold - it's much softer even when refrigerated.

Desired texture once the butter has been cut in  

Once the butter has been 'cut' in, add the raisins (if you don't want plain scones), mix, and then add in the milk or half-and-half. Knead lightly with your hands until well mixed - but don't overdo it! Less is more here, and over-mixing will keep the scones from being light and fluffy. You want the dough to be quite moist.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, flat surface and flatten to about a three-quarter or one-inch thickness. Use a round cookie cutter (about two inches in diameter) to cut the dough into circles. If you don't have a round cutter, that's fine (I don't!) - just use the bottom of a round glass that's about two inches wide to lightly mark the top of the dough, then cut the circles out with a sharp knife. This works just as well. Place the scones an inch or so apart on a greased baking sheet.

Isolate the egg yolk from the whites in a small bowl and whip with a fork. Use a brush (your fingertip will work too!) and lightly glaze the tops of the scones. This will create a lovely golden glaze once the scones are baked - but use only a very little (just until the tops are shiny) or the scones will come out soggy. Then pop them into the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Beautiful! Scones are best eaten warm, so either enjoy them right away or heat up for a minute in a toaster oven if you'll be eating them later.

Here's a bonus tutorial for serving scones the proper British way. Cut the scone in half lengthwise, so you have two flat circular pieces. Spread with a sweet fruit preserves or jam - I prefer Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry Preserves - and then top with a dab of clotted cream, if you can find it. You can substitute whipped cream too, but clotted cream (kind of like a mix between whipped cream and butter) is the traditional way to go. The Fresh Market carries Double Devon Cream, but it's difficult to find elsewhere in the US. After having my scones this way in the UK (which is how they're always served), I can't eat them any other way! And don't forget the tea!

Zab in London | Days N° 8-9

I'm sorry to disappoint, but I haven't done anything thrilling over the last two days. Because my midterm is coming up on Wednesday, I've been studying as hard as I can.

I have been trying to find some peaceful places to study, though, particularly ones that are open a bit later in the evening. On the left is the 5th View at the Waterstones Piccadilly, a top-floor cafe with views of the city. I went there this evening for dinner (bangers and mash! yum!) and then sat down in the classics section to do some studying. Like I said in a previous post, Waterstones is very well-kept, quiet, and beautiful. They have nice comfy couches too!

There are a handful of cafes on the Kingsway where I've taken a couple of hours to sit down, have some tea, and study at: Bill's (pictured below), Paul, and the Delaunay Counter. All have outdoor seating, which is irresistible in this perfect weather.  Another favourite would definitely be the New Academic Building on the LSE's campus, which I've also mentioned before.  I love the open space, big windows, and views of the city. Does anyone sense a pattern here?

I was only able to visit when I first arrived, but the Victoria Embankment Gardens on the Thames was beautiful and I'd love to return to sit and read in the garden. Every day here has been only lightly cloudy and in the 70s, so I'm taking every possible opportunity to be outdoors. The picture above, at Waterstones, was the first afternoon of real London fogginess - which was equally wonderful because it was so cosy!

While I haven't done much besides study over the past couple of days, I'm still learning more about this city, culture, and people that surround me. Honestly, it hasn't completely sunk in that I'm in London, in the United Kingdom, in Europe. I don't know if I'll even totally wrap my mind around that until I leave! I've wanted to be here for so long, that it's still quite surreal now that it's actually happened...

A difference between US and UK culture that has become more apparent over the past week is the study habits of the students here.  Whereas the library and study rooms at my university in Virginia would be absolutely packed with students during the evenings, late at night, and during the weekends (even when exams weren't coming up!), the campus here (the study lounges and library and such) are essentially empty over the weekends and during the evenings. The buildings close earlier here than they do in the US (William & Mary's library is open until 2:00 every morning and 24-hours during exam weeks, whereas the LSE campus closes around 18:00). Here at LSE, the 2,000+ summer students currently in classes all have midterm exams in two days. When I went on campus to study over the weekend, I expected all the study areas to be full - but they were almost completely empty!

I've also noticed that a surprising number of students don't spend their extra time studying at all, whether on campus, in their rooms or elsewhere. Of course, some certainly do, and very good for them - but there have been plenty of weeknights (and certainly weekends) where people are coming and going early in the morning, masses of students are congregated in the residence hall lounge drinking and socialising for hours, and I find beer cans lying around on weekday mornings all the time. As I slave away at my schoolwork all day and all night, I can hardly believe that these people can spare enough time away from their books. I suppose they must be taking easier classes, or be naturally brilliant. Either way, it's very different from the study habits at William & Mary.

Of course, I am perfectly studious and never get distracted. Teehee! I wish. I'm trying to strike a balance between seeing the city and friends and dedicating enough time to schoolwork to do well in my class; usually, this means that I'll go out in the city where I can be around people and see a new place, but will always bring my notes from class and go over problems and readings. I'm not a natural finance genius, and where some people might find this coming easily to them, I have to study my little booty off to get good grades. But it will be quite worth it! I'm interested in LSE for their Masters in Finance programme, so I know the extra hours of studying will pay off!

Zab in London | Days N° 4-5

Sorry it's been a day or two since I last checked in! Honestly, there hasn't been anything terribly exciting to report... I've been spending most of my days on the LSE campus, and most of my evenings studying.

View from the top of the New Academic Building   

I have been getting to know the LSE campus a little better, which is good. It's actually pretty tricky: the little alleyways between buildings are convoluted and difficult to remember. I guess that's just one of the consequences of being in an old city like this. My classes are in a big theatre in Clement House, which is right on Aldwych and the Kingsway, a couple doors down from the Delaunay, and a few blocks from the Thames. LSE has older buildings and new buildings, some under construction at the moment, but they're all very nice and well kept. This photo was taken on the rooftop pavilion of the New Academic Building, which is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in London and is really beautiful and new. The top floor is dedicated to quiet study but is made up of big glass windows, outdoor seating, and a balcony, and has excellent views of London.

LSE's mascot in front of Waterstones

I've also stopped in Waterstones, the famous British bookshop.  The LSE Student Union has a shop with LSE items in the centre of campus, and I had to get an LSE sweatshirt so I can show off when I'm back at William & Mary! I haven't had the time to do any intense shopping trips yet (note: yet), just stopping in here and there. I couldn't resist getting a commemorative Prince George mug at a souvenir shop: 'A Royal Baby, 2013'. Too funny! They have dining sets and puzzles, keychains and onesies... I don't blame them, though. I'm jealous that the British have this beautiful royal family to fawn over!

On Friday, though, I have the afternoon off (no lecture!) and have quite a busy itinerary for the day. When I get out of class, I plan on finally going to see 221B Baker St - I went early one

I couldn't help it: Prince George memorabilia! 

morning this week as soon as it opened to try to get in before my 11:00 class, but there was already a line with at least a hundred people in it, so I had to give up and head off to class. After visiting Sherlock Holmes' flat tomorrow, I would like to go to Oxford Street or Knightsbridge to do some real shopping, at Topshop and H&M. Then when I get back that evening, I'll need to take a nap, because much later that night I'm going with some other students to the Ministry of Sound! This is one of London's premier clubs, and LSE students were able to get a discount on admission tomorrow evening. And then the rest of my weekend will be dedicated to studying!

But for now, I'm in my room doing schoolwork. Learning so much material (in such a difficult subject!) over a short period of time is rough. I am essentially in class four hours a day, and the professor speeds through the material. Each individual lecture during summer school is equivalent to at least a week of 'real' class during the fall or spring semester, so there's a massive amount of material to go through each day. And I don't have much time to review and make sure I know everything: the next morning, it's on to a new topic!  I've been spending most of my nights going back over the problems and formulas and examples that we're supposed to know, but the volume of material is so great that I'll be lucky if I can remember half of it by next week.

My lovely sister Emily made my day a lot better by sending a really wonderful care package to my residence hall! It's been surprisingly hard to find granola bars here (I know, weird... but most of the 'granola bars' here are sweet yoghurt bars and such, not the uber-healthy KIND and Two-Moms-in-the-Raw bars that I love in the US), and it's always difficult to find healthy snacks. These are perfect for running off to class and bringing with for a snack... I've just been buying sweets at coffee shops this past week. Not the greatest option!

I'm sorry there's nothing more exciting to report, but my days this week have been filled with school. During the weekends I'll have more time to tour and shop, but right now studying and figuring out British quirks have taken up all my time. I'm getting the hang of central London and some of the everyday British lingo, so as not to look like a complete fool, but adjusting to living in downtown London is almost enough to worry about on its own!

preparing to study abroad in London

Jaime Olivares photography

I'm off for London in almost TWO WEEKS! Earlier this year, I was accepted for summer school at London School of Economics, and I still can't get my head around the idea. I'll be taking a finance class at LSE from July 29 to August 17, and though I already have my class, airfare, and accommodations in London all set up, there are some final preparations that I'm working through this week. I wanted to share them here so I could 1. start off my travel journal, and 2. share them with other American students who will be studying abroad in London! 

 
Here is my checklist:

Make sure your passport doesn't need to be renewed - or apply for a passport if you don't have one! Applying for or renewing a passport will cost you around $100, and will take about a month. So do this well ahead of time! 

Verify whether or not you will need a visa. If you are a student from the EU or EEA, you don't need a visa to study in the UK. But students from the US and other areas of the world do need some type of visa. Because my program is for less than six months and I'm from the US, I qualify for a Student Visitor visa. This means that I only need to show proof of my enrolment (like my acceptance letter), along with proof that I'll be in the UK for less than six months (my return ticket), I'm over eighteen, and I have enough funds to support myself while abroad (cash or a credit card). I'm also bringing proof of my accommodation and tuition payments just in case. I need to show these documents to the immigrations officer once I land in London, and voila! Student Visitor visa. However, students from other countries may need to apply for a visa, for which they will need a visa letter from the institution they'll be attending. More information about this can be found here.  

Also, if you're studying full-time in the UK for more than six months, you must apply for a Tier 4 Student visa once you've been accepted at your institution. More information about that can be found here. Whatever type of visa you'll need, it's best to start figuring this out several months in advance of your program date: applying for and receiving a visa can take weeks, if not months, and it's best to not put off.   

APACS

Get a credit card you can use in the UK. Unfortunately for American students trying to study in the UK, Europe is a step ahead of the US in credit card security. Many retailers in Europe are unwilling to accept the credit cards we use in the US because they're not very secure. Instead, European cards use chip-and-PIN or chip-and-signature technology, which are embedded with a computer chip and are supplemented with a personal PIN or signature to verify ownership of the card. Your traditional American swipe-and-sign credit cards won't work; the chip-and-PIN card needs to be inserted into a machine which will read the computer chip, and then you'll need to enter a PIN or sign. Additionally, many European retailers don't accept American Express cards. If you're going to be in the UK for any extended period of time, just be on the safe side and get a chip-and-PIN card. You can still use it in the US and it'll make life much easier when you're abroad. The problem is that they're difficult to find in the US. Only a few banks offer them. Eli got hers through Bank of America, and I am getting mine through Chase. It's also handy to find one that has no foreign transaction fees, since many cards will charge you an extra fee if you use it abroad.

Notify your bank. Whether you're planning on using your American credit/debit card, or are getting a chip-and-PIN card, notify your bank before leaving the country. It's fine to do this the week of, but even if you don't plan on using your debit card abroad (like I do), notify the bank just in case. You never know if you'll have to use it at an ATM or in a case of emergency. Most banks won't allow transactions abroad (or even in other US states!) if you haven't given them prior notice - they'll just put your account on hold. So do it just to be safe.

Notify your health insurance company, and purchase travel insurance if you think you'll need it. Similarly, notify your health insurance company before you leave. Hopefully there won't be any emergencies, but just in case, you don't want to find out that your health insurance doesn't apply if you're abroad. I called mine (Anthem) and asked if I could use my insurance abroad, and they said that I could use my insurance abroad in case of emergencies, and they had a list of physicians on their website that were covered in cases of non-emergency treatment. Easy! Don't assume that you'll be covered, though - make certain before you go. Many students also like to purchase travel insurance (often offered through your school or study abroad program) in case anything is lost or stolen abroad, or if you have to cancel with short notice and wouldn't otherwise receive a refund.  

Stock up on any medication you take regularly. Because you can't be sure that your medication will be available abroad (or what price it'll be!), stock up on any medication you need before you go. I'm even bringing my own non-vital meds, like ibuprofen and Nyquil. It's better to know you have it rather than having to hunt through an unfamiliar pharmacy in a different country to find the right medication while you're sick. If your insurance covers your medication, you'll need to get their permission to get more than the normal dosage from your pharmacy before you go.

Get any vaccinations required for travel abroad.  As a US student traveling to the UK, I don't need any vaccinations, but if you're traveling elsewhere in the world, it's likely that you'll need to get a few vaccinations beforehand, or at least bring proof that you have the basics already. Make sure to check several months in advance so that you have time to get whatever's necessary.   

servewlove.wordpress.com

Figure out what you want to do with your phone. There are a number of options to consider when deciding how to use your mobile phone abroad. It seems to me like there are three viable options: use your existing phone with an additional package from your provider, use your existing phone with a new local SIM card, or get a local prepaid phone. If you're going abroad for a shorter period of time (like I am) and want to use your existing phone number, keep your contacts, etc., I recommend just contacting your service provider and asking about the packages they offer for using your phone abroad. Instead of paying huge international usage fees, you'll pay for a certain amount of service to be used abroad, and for your friends and family back home, it'll be no different. I don't plan on using my phone much; I'll rely on Skype and Facebook and the like to communicate with friends and family back in the US. However, I know I'll use my iPhone frequently for its apps and internet. Because I'll be in London (where wireless internet abounds at cafes and the like), I'm just going to turn my cellular data off (in Settings) and Wi-Fi on and use whatever Wi-Fi is available. I also downloaded Pocket Earth, which is a map app that operates offline.

If you're going to be abroad for an extended period of time, it might be wise to get a local SIM card or a prepaid phone while you're abroad. Getting a local SIM card and having it put in your phone will give you a local number (remember to give this number to all those back home!) and may make you lose your contacts, but you'll be using a local provider and be paying local fees. However, make sure to contact your usual provider and have them 'unlock' your phone so that it can be used with another provider. If you're not too attached to your mobile phone anyway, you might want to just buy a prepaid phone (usually less than $50) and load it up with minutes, texts, and data. You'll be able to use it locally and pay for more minutes as you need them.

Make copies of all important documents. Once you have your passport, flight information, course information, and accommodations all figured out, make photocopies of all these things, along with your driver's license, health insurance card, travel insurance information, credit cards, and anything else that you could possibly need in any emergency situation. Give a set of copies to your parents or significant other here in the US, and keep another set of copies for yourself in your baggage. In case of any emergency, or if anything is lost or stolen, it will make matters much easier if your emergency contact in the US and you have copies of your important documents. Also, back up your laptop and phone before you go.

Get comfortable. If you're studying abroad, you're going to be doing hours and hours of traveling, whether by plane or boat or train. Before you set off, invest in a few key pieces that will make your travels much more comfortable. Magellan's is a good source for many of these things. I have a pillow/blanket combo (where the blanket is stored in the pillow) for in-flight comfort, along with a pair of earplugs and eyeshades. I also have homeopathic No-Jet Lag pills to help with jet lag on the nine-hour flight. Make sure you wear clothing that is comfortable (but not just pyjamas, especially if you're flying to Europe!), is layered (so you can adjust to low/high temperatures during travel), but where jackets/belts/shoes are easy to take off for security. And if you're going to London, pack a mini umbrella!

Travelon Executive Wallet

Invest in a passport wallet. It's going to be easier to have all your important forms of identification (passport, ID, insurance, credit cards, cash) in one place when you're traveling between countries and locally. You don't want to end up needing your passport for identification, only to have left it back in your room; you don't want to have to switch between your regular wallet and a passport wallet. I just have one good passport wallet that I'll use while I'm in London. It's also helpful to have one with RFID-blocking technology. All passport wallets made in the last five years have an RFID chip, which can hold your personal information and a photo. However, these chips (and even your credit card) can be read with scanners from up to ten feet away, so many passport wallets now include RFID-blocking technology so that thieves can't get your personal information. Good investment to consider!

Do as much as possible here. It's better to know you have something for a fact while you're abroad rather than to have to search for it in an unfamiliar environment. You might not know for certain that day-to-day products you rely on (toiletries, medication, certain snacks) will be available where you're going. This might not be as big of a problem in London, but if you're traveling from the US to a less-Westernized area, like Africa or the Middle East, you definitely want to pack those day-to-day things that you don't know you'll be able to find abroad. Even things like hand sanitiser, wipes, or tissues might be needed in a hurry when you're abroad but you won't know where you can buy them. Just have them on you in the first place.  

Also, here is my short to-do list of things to do immediately when I arrive in London:

Get an Oyster card. I'm flying into Heathrow, which has a direct Tube line to my accommodation in Holborn. And though my room is only a few blocks from the London School of Economics campus, I know I'll be doing traveling throughout the city as well. If you plan on doing any significant amount of travel throughout London, invest in an Oyster card - it's a prepaid card (the size of your credit card) that you touch to a yellow pad before and after you ride on the Tube. You stock it up with a certain amount (£5-50) and can reload it whenever you need. Additionally, your rides will be discounted if you use this card (rather than buying a ticket for each ride). You can buy one of these cards online or at any ticket station once you're in London.

tfl.gov.uk

Exchange your currency. Though I plan on primarily using my chip-and-PIN card when I'm abroad, I feel like it's also helpful to always have a bit of cash on me, for emergencies or quick small purchases. It's possible to convert some of your cash here (call around at local banks and see who has some of the currency you need), but easy to do it once you're abroad. You can have it exchanged at the airport (usually for a higher fee) or at a bank once you arrive. I'm going to exchange a small amount here (because I feel like it's easier to land in a new country with some money already on me), and then exchange a larger amount when I'm in London to keep for emergencies.

Well, that's my list so far! I hope this is helpful to any students traveling abroad in the future. Please comment if you have any other advice for me, or further questions about anything here!