Thunder and Lightning! A Unique Cream Tea

Honey scones topped with cream, honey, and apple jam. ‘Thunder & Lightning’ is a traditional British cream tea that’s perfect for Rosh Hashanah, Shavuot or any afternoon.

I love being able to find foods that signify a very particular time and place. As I was contemplating the upcoming Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) festivities, I found myself searching for something that would combine my British heritage with my Jewish one.

Symbolic Rosh Hashanah foods

Apples and honey are the archetypal Rosh Hashanah foods. Symbolising our wish for a sweet year ahead, the sweet fruit dipped in even sweeter honey makes our hopes for the future tangible. I doubt there is a Rosh Hashanah table anywhere that does not feature these sweet and delicious edible symbols.

You can read more about different symbolic foods for Jewish New Year here.

Recipes with apples and honey

While it’s fun to just dip and eat the apple and honey, it’s even more fun to include them in a delicious festive treat. In the past I’ve made apple and honey roasted vegetables, and even apple and honey granola for a Rosh Hashanah breakfast!

Tell ’em about the honey!

As I was thinking about traditional British dishes using honey and apples, I came across the evocatively named Thunder and Lightning!

Hailing from the West Country, Thunder and lightning is a type of cream tea, where scones, or Cornish splits are topped with clotted cream and a generous drizzle of honey, golden syrup or treacle.

Add a pot of English breakfast, and the result is a deliciously British afternoon tea that’s perfect to serve on YomTov afternoon! Honey scones, anyone?

What is a cream tea?

A classic cream tea consists of freshly baked scones, split and topped with cream and jam, and served with a pot of tea.

Cream teas originate in the South West of England. The counties of Devon and Cornwall both claim to be the original and best. In Devon, the cream traditionally goes on first, followed by the jam, while in Cornwall, it’s jam first then cream. Debates over which is best/proper/correct can get surprisingly heated!

Thunder and lightning

In Thunder and Lightning, the jam is omitted and honey, syrup or treacle substituted in its place. The ‘jam first’ debate is avoided altogether because these honey scones have a layer of the sticky stuff on either side of the cream!

Sweet, rich and delicious!

The term ‘Thunder and Lightning’ is sometimes also used to refer to other foods that combine something creamy, with something sweet and sticky. For instance, thunder and lightning ice-cream is typically vanilla flavour with a honey or syrup ripple, or chunks of honeycomb/cinder toffee/hokey-pokey/your preferred term for this confection.

What kind of cream?

These days, the cream in a cream tea is nearly always clotted cream. However when I was a child, it was usually whipped cream.

Thunder and Lightning usually uses clotted cream, which is spread onto a honeyed scone before more honey is spooned over the top.

You can use either clotted cream or whipped cream and your Thunder and Lightning cream tea will still be delicious! I think I actually prefer whipped cream, as it is slightly lighter than clotted cream. That’s what you can see in the photos here.

Honey scones recipe

You can use any kind of scones to make Thunder and Lightning – it’s all about the toppings after all. However, I’ve included a recipe for honey scones, to really highlight this traditional Rosh Hashanah food.

Honey scones are slightly sweeter than regular scones. Depending on what kind of honey you use, the flavour of your honey scones will be more or less intense.

They also give off an amazing honey aroma while baking! Don’t be surprised if your family all congregate in the kitchen for no apparent reason while these are in the oven!

Apple topping for honey scones

If spooning honey onto your honey scones seems just a bit too much, you might like to try an apple topping instead.

There are a number of different brands of apple jam available. As far as I can tell, none have kosher certification, but many fall under KLBD’s general guidelines for jams and preserves, which is, “All jams, marmalades and preserves are permitted, unless they contain grape juice, E120, brandy or other non-kosher ingredients.”

So read the label! Alternatively, you can make apple jam yourself, using one of these recipes from around the web:

• Plum and apple jam from Fab Food 4 All
• Apple and ginger jam from Lavender and Lovage
• French apple jam from The View from Great Island
• Apple marmalade from Food.com

Honey scones – alternatives

If you’d rather have a plain scone than a honey scone, you can simply omit the honey from this recipe and you’re all set!

You can also add sultanas or raisins to the scone mixture if you prefer fruit scones to plain ones. Some chopped dried apple would also make a lovely seasonal addition.

Some people like to sprinkle a little sugar on the tops of their scones before baking. I like my scone tops plain, but a little brown sugar actually goes beautifully with the honey flavour.

Finally, if you want to ditch the scones altogether, you can also make Thunder and Lightning with Cornish Splits – try this recipe from Tin and Thyme.

Tips for making honey scones

Like all scones, these honey scones are very easy to make. However, it’s worth bearing in mind the following tips, which I learnt at school aged about 14!

• Keep your mixture as cool as possible – use the butter/margarine straight from the fridge and try not to over-process as this will heat the mixture. If making by hand, wash your hands in cold water to cool them down before you start!
• Be quick! Mix and cut out your scones quickly and avoid the temptation to ‘faff’ – it won’t make better scones.
• Use a sharp cutter. A nice clean edge helps the scones to rise evenly in the oven.
• Let them rest. Give the scones 10 minutes to relax before baking. I’m not sure what this does but it does seem to help the scones to rise nicely!

Not just for Rosh Hashanah!

Of course these delicious scones are terrific at any time, but I think they’ll also be perfect for Shavuot. Cream teas are often served at this festival, where dairy foods are highlighted, and one of the reasons for this is to recall that Israel is described as a “land of milk and honey”. So scones with cream and honey seem to be just the ticket!

A British Jewish treat

I never thought I’d be wishing for Thunder and Lightning on YomTov afternoon! But I hope you agree that this cream tea with honey scones is a suitably British way to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

Wishing you a Shana Tovah – a good and sweet year ahead.

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📖 Recipe

Honey scones and ‘Thunder and Lightning’

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Honey scones with cream, honey and apple jam. 'Thunder & Lightning' is a traditional British cream tea that's perfect for an Autumn afternoon

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

resting time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 32 minutes mins

Course Cake, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 6 scones

Calories 109 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 110 g plain flour + a little extra (all purpose flour)
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 20 g butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 75 ml milk or non-dairy alternative + a little extra for the tops

To serve

• runny honey
• whipped cream or clotted cream
• apple jam (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon liner.
• 110 g (⅞ cup) plain flour + a little extra, 1½ tsp baking powder, pinch salt, 20 g (1½ tablespoon) butter or margarine
  In a food processor, briefly combine the flour, baking powder, salt and butter/margarine, to give fine crumbs. (Alternatively, you can rub in the fat to the dry ingredients by hand.)
• 1 tbsp honey, 75 ml (⅓ cup) milk or non-dairy alternative + a little extra for the tops
  Add the honey and milk/non-dairy alternative, and pulse until the mixture is just combined. (Quickly mix in the liquids using a knife, if making by hand.)
• Dust a clean surface with flour, then tip out the scone mixture – it will likely be quite sticky. Sprinkle over just enough flour to prevent your hands from sticking to the dough, then pat it down gently until about 1½ cm (approx. ⅔ inch) thick.
• Use a 5cm (approx. 2 inch) fluted cutter to cut out circles from the scone dough and transfer carefully to the prepared baking sheet. Gently recombine any offcuts of dough – try not to handle too much – and cut more scones. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk/non-dairy alternative if desired.
• Allow the scones to stand for about ten minutes, then transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden.
• Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold (see below).

To serve Thunder and Lightning

• runny honey, whipped cream or clotted cream, apple jam (optional)
  Serve the honey scones warm or cold. Split the scones and top with honey, cream and/or apple jam if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

NB Nutrition facts are for scones ONLY. Nutritional values will vary depending on the type and amount of toppings added.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Honey scones and 'Thunder and Lightning'

Amount per Serving

Calories

109

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

3

g

5

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

8

mg

3

%

Sodium

 

136

mg

6

%

Potassium

 

39

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

18

g

6

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

4

g

4

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

104

IU

2

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

77

mg

8

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword apple, cream, honey

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More delicious recipes with honey

If you loved these honey scones, you’ll probably also enjoy sticky and spicy honey cake, delicious apple and honey cookies, and rustic apple galettes with honey and thyme.

For a list of over 80 recipes using Rosh Hashanah’s traditional symbolic foods, click here.