Welcome to a menu I’ve been wanting to make for years: one inspired by Brambly Hedge! If you’re unfamiliar with the series, just imagine if Redwall had been written as early chapter books with cozy cottagecore themes and utterly gorgeous illustrations. I have the box set of the Brambly Hedge seasonal stories, and I’ve been itching to make a menu inspired by each season. So let’s get started!

We’ll begin with SUMMER STORY, which follows the events surrounding the wedding of Poppy Eyebright, who runs the Brambly Hedge dairy, and Dusty Dogwood, the local miller. I brought their two crafts together and made a recipe that uses flour, butter, milk, and cream—scones! Strawberry scones to be exact, since fresh strawberries are one of the foods brought to the wedding. To jazz things up, I drizzled my scones with a lemon Moscato glaze inspired by the homemade white wine Basil Brightberry sets aside for the wedding.

I think the glaze might be my favorite part of this recipe. It gives the scones some needed zing, brightening all the other flavors. My son, our resident bread enthusiast, is a huge fan of these scones. He’s already asking when I’ll make them again!

P.S. If you’re a Brambly Hedge fan and are bummed I didn’t make Poppy’s iconic wedding cake, don’t worry. It’s coming! Since we get a beautiful illustration of her cake but no description of the flavor, I decided to combine it with the birthday cake from SPRING STORY, which has a detailed flavor description. So for dessert I’m make Wildfred Toadflax’s strawberry hazelnut birthday cake and style it to look like Poppy’s wedding cake. It will be my 4th Brambly Hedge recipe (the second-to-last one in the menu), so stay tuned!

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Strawberry Scones with Lemon Moscato Glaze

“The wedding day dawned at last. The sky was clear and blue, and it was hotter than ever. The kitchens of Brambly Hedge were full of activity . . . The young mice had been up early to gather huge baskets of wild strawberries.”

— Summer Story

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into
  tablespoons
• ¾ cup half and half, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup sliced strawberries
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• Lemon Moscato
  • I used Oliver Lemon Moscato

 

Makes 5 scones

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mix has a crumb-like texture with bits of pea-sized butter throughout.
3. Make a well in the center. To the well add ½ cup half and half, the beaten egg, and the strawberries. Stir with a fork until mixture is just combined. The dough should be just damp enough to come together (don’t overwork it, since that can make the scones tough). If you don’t have enough moisture to bring all the dry material together, add another 2-3 Tbsp half and half.
4. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands, making sure to press any stray bits from the bottom of the bowl into the ball. Place it on a well-floured cutting board. Roll it out into an 7″ x 9″ rectangle and cut into 4 3-inch circles, re-flouring as needed. Gather the scraps into a ball and re-roll until about ¾” thick. Cut out 1 more circle. Transfer all circles to the baking sheet.
5. Brush the top of the circles with remaining half-and-half (you don’t have to use it all).
6. Bake for about 17 minutes until risen and the tops are golden brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. In a small bowl, mix lemon Moscato into the powdered sugar 1-2 tsp at a time until it makes a paste that is thick but can still be drizzled. Drizzle over scones. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.
8. Serve to the guests at Poppy Eyebright’s wedding!

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Check out my Redwall recipes!

Deeper ‘n Ever Pie from Redwall

Hotroot Soup from Redwall

Candied Nuts with Meadowcream