AIBU about the National Trust 'stunt scone'?

[FizzBuzzBangWoof]

AIBU or is it NT policy in all their cafes to display an enormous and fantastic looking scone on top of the counter, but when you order a scone they get you one from the back which is a pathetic and distinctly inferior specimen of about half the size (and then add insult to injury by charging 75p for a teaspoon of jam)?

Or is it just at Nostell Priory that they always do this?

cream cheese and onion pickle for the cheese scone, strawberry jam and clotted cream for the sweet scone

I don't want my scones stereotyped like this, why can't my cheese scone wear pink (jam)?

I think that was a fake stunt scone.

Real National Trust stunt scones jump off the top of the display cabinet and float downwards under a small parachute onto your tray.

Someoneyouknow. I don't want my scones stereotyped like this, why can't my cheese scone wear pink (jam)?
If, like us, you buy one of each and share, there’s nowt to stop you trying all the combinations of flavours Jam and onion pickle anyone?

saucery you’ve just made me decide to go to our nearest NT. I might phone ahead first to check they’re in this competition...

Crustaceans- unfortunately pre packaged is the only way it can be sold as GFree, not just 'no gluten containing ingredients'

FROZEN SCONES

Why buy them frozen, they are so easy to make, 10 minutes tops. It's a travesty. I wonder if the stunt scone is also frozen.

Maybe report to trading standards as false advertising

I used to make scones for a living. (I know, but someone's got to do it!)

It was in a busy garden centre cafe, and they used to freeze the left overs at the end of the day and use them if they sold out after I'd gone home in the afternoons. So they might not have been bought in frozen ones.

No secret knowledge on the stunt scone though, they used to be piled up in great sconey bounty and yu could choose whichever you wanted.

Coincidentally I'm starting work with the NT next week, I'll keep my ear to the ground for any inside knowledge

I don’t mind that the gluten free offering is prepackaged to avoid contamination - what I mind is the lack of choice. I get they are catering to the minority and I am grateful I can get anything at all (not very long ago being able to buy gluten free in a regular cafe was unheard of) but everywhere you go it is either a brownie or a flapjack - and both are usually dry and disappointing rather than gooey and delicious. G/f scones are rarer than hens teeth!!

yabadabadontdoit if it’s not the size of a toddler’s face they’re not doing it right. You shouldn’t be able to make out the oak leaf design on the top until you blow off the excess sugar, either.

The scones are absolutely massive up at our local NT cafe. I've never had one but I'm told they're nice. The cakes are good too, big variety and not your usual flavours - had a blueberry and elderflower one recently which was lovely. They don't look or taste pre-frozen to me, but I might be wrong. All tray bakes, nothing fancy about this place as it's just a cafe in the woods.

To be honest we really go there for the breakfasts.

At Dover Castle, an English Heritage site, they served the scone with squirty cream. Yeah, I know. It was as if society itself had broken down.
This was a few years back.

Went last year and all was normal.

@SomeDyke Nuggan!!

Does this mean you'll be wearing the lilac tomorrow (the Glorious 25th May)?

EscapeTheCastle that is sacrilege😲

Squirty cream shouldn't be allowed across the threshold of a NT building!

I think I need to speak up for the poor forlorn frozen scone,

In the property I work at the scones are delivered fresh, but immediately frozen. Then microwaved to defrost and warm. We don’t have an oven only a microwave as it’s a tiny cafe. We don’t “cook” anything. But it’s really yummy, I’ve had most of the cakes over the years and they are all lovely. I had no idea they were previously frozen, icing and all.

Shame them on Tripadvisor. They need to know the effect of substandard scones on visitor satisfaction.

If no one tells them how will they learn?

It's a bit of a trade off with the NT. Membership cost is growing, but it's a nice day out, and the tea shop is generally reasonable. Our membership is £90 for both of us now, but we go somewhere a few times in the year, so it's reasonable.

Coffee is £2.50 plus wherever you go, (NT or otherwise). Tea a bit less.

The NT shops are a bit pricey as well, although their lemon and other curds are excellent.

Having said that, we still tend to take a sandwich and flask, and just have a tea and cake, rather than a full meal.

St Michael's Mount remain my favourite NT property.

I used to work at a N.T cafe and the left over scones were a perk of the job. Working on a day there were left over chocolate brownies was also a good day!!

Nostell priory cafe is Terrible for this. Bastards.

Yes, Berrington with its underground inconvenient cafe is one of my favourites.

Our local one has a new dog friendly bookshop kitted out with sofas and a fire where you can take your self selected scone if you can manage to negotiate two closed doors and a flight of steps while carrying a tray laden with cups, saucers, teapots, milk jugs and bagged goods.

What IS with the random dog policy?

FizzBuzzBangWoof l shall bear this in mind! Nostell Priory's just down the road from me. l've never been, but when l go, and visit the tea room, l definitely won't be having a scone!

EscapetheCastle I haven't had a scone at Dover Castle but the NT cafe at the White Cliffs of Dover has really nice baked goods. I had a banana cake there in 2015 that I still think about, LOL.

Dover Castle has nice hot food, at least.

All NT places have different suppliers and policies. I’m sure most bigger places make their own scones fresh.

Now, I have recently rejoined the NT. I definitely got to choose my own scone at the Giant’s Causeway. I pass Nostell Priory a least once a week, I will have to check out the scones. I seem to remembers them being pretty good, and I am pretty particular about scones.

BestisWest at Dinefwr you are required to take your tray along a corridor, up and down several small (easily trippable) steps, through the gift shop, out into the courtyard and round a corner if you wish to sit on one of the lovely picnic tables out front. They could actually pass you the tray out of the window next to the tables which would save a lot of balancing and sloshing of cups but no, make us do it all ourselves!

If you’re near Nostell Priory, then you’re not far from Markham Grange (and English Heritage’s Brodsworth Hall).

Markham Grange isn’t a ‘naice’ garden centre by any stretch of the imagination, but their scones are massive and lovely. Plus there’s a steam museum that’s open certain days.