Woman spends ten years tasting scones at hundreds of venues – and her favourite was in York!
A woman who has completed a decade-long project to sample a scone at every possible National Trust location has revealed her favourite comes from right here in York!
Sarah Merker, 49, from Isleworth, London, is the mastermind behind a blog called nationaltrustscones.com, where she has documented a ten-year journey trying the treat at every National Trust location in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland that can provide one.
Her mission was finally completed today (Wednesday) when Ms Merker visited the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland for one last scone, to feel as though she had finished the task alongside her husband, Peter, who died from cancer in 2018.
While she could not name a bad scone – though admitted there have been two – she did speak about the one that stands out as a favourite from a decade of tasting: a Christmas pudding scone with brandy butter at Treasurer’s House, right here in York.
Here’s what she wrote:
The aroma was out of this world, which is why my photos are so rubbish, as I just wanted to start stuffing my face as soon as humanly possible.
So let’s just recap: I have travelled 200 miles for a scone. That scone looks amazing and smells amazing. Surely it can’t be as nice as I am anticipating?
Readers, it was off the scale delicious. That first bite of Christmas pudding scone with brandy butter will remain with me for a very long time. As I left I saw a man eating some sort of ordinary cake and I wanted to shout “THEY HAVE CHRISTMAS PUDDING SCONES, MAN! GET A RUDDY GRIP!”
Responding to the accolade, Treasurer’s House posted on its Facebook page that the Christmas pudding scone was “created by the talented team at Treasurer’s House following a suggestion from a visitor of flavours to try.
“We don’t serve them all year round, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing…but when the season is right…we’ll keep you posted. And get the brandy butter softened.
“Other scones will be available in the café from 1 April. Equally delicious and worthy.”
After 244 scones, Ms Merker revealed the secret to making them perfect every time.
“There is a secret to scones and it’s the easiest secret ever,” she said.
“The secret to a scone is that it has to be fresh.
“It takes a lot to ruin a fresh score… As long as the scone has been baked that day, you can hardly ever go wrong.”