Brown Sugar Scones: A Journey Through My Baking Roots

There is something magical about a warm scone fresh from the oven - a simple pleasure that feels like a hug on a plate. My love affair with scones, especially my signature brown sugar scones, began years ago at Tubby's, a small but thriving café near where I lived.

Tubby's was run by Carmella Fletcher, a culinary powerhouse with a well-earned reputation for her cooking. When I joined the team, she had just embarked on an ambitious new project: a 100-seater restaurant in a newly built garden centre. This was yet another opportunity for me to step into a kitchen at the very beginning of it's creation - a theme that seemed to follow me throughout my career.

Up to that point, I had been working at Flynn's, a refined restaurant where I spent my days juggling split shifts and endless weekends. The menu at Flynn's was small but intricate - three starters, four mains, and three desserts, each meticulously crafted. Even the simplistic elements, the vegetables or potatoes, were handed with classical precision. Barreling potatoes ( yes, whittling them down to tiny, uniform barrel shapes) was a testament to the level of detail expected.

But as much as I admire that finesse, I craved a change - a day job, something more predictable, yet still creative. Tubby's offered exactly that.

Building Skills and following My Passion

When I started at Tubby's, I was hungry for more than just a new role - I wanted to grow. I decided to pursue my qualifications and train as a pastry chef while working there. It was a one-year course that completely transformed the way I approached baking.

The training deepened my passion for all things sweet, from understanding the science behind the perfect pastry to mastering intricate techniques. It wasn't just about learning - it was about unlocking my creativity. With the knowledge I gained, I suddenly had the skill and knowledge to experiment. Best of all, Carmella gave me free rain to make what I wanted. It was a dream come true.

I relished the freedom to create, and it allowed me to refine my craft. Every day brought a new opportunity to bake something beautiful, delicious, and - most importantly - mine.

The Kitchen and the Characters

The kitchen at Tubby's garden centre was a bustling operation, and the team I worked with left a lasting impression on me.

Stan, the head chef, was in his late 60’s - a man with trembling hands from the years of alcohol abuse and a gruff, cantankerous demeanour. At first, I didn't like him at all. And I don't think he liked anyone! The first few months working with him were the worst. His fierce temper and grumpy attitude made him intimidating , and I often felt like I was walking on egg shells around him. But I was determined to find some common ground.

Every day, I made him coffee and slipped him samples of my cakes. It didn't seem to make much difference until one day, completely out of the blue, I did an impression of someone, and to my surprise, it tickled him so much he roared with laughter - a deep, booming laugh I'd never heard before. That moment broke the ice between us, and everything changed. From then on, he softened. We started to connect over shared stories and quiet moments in the kitchen.

Then there was Emma , who worked along side me on our side of the kitchen. Similar in age and sharing my love of all things sweet and savoury, Emma and I clicked instantly. We formed a strong partnership, managing our section with a rhythm that can only come from trust and teamwork.

And Shirley, one of the kitchen porters (or KP’s, as they are known) was unforgettable in her own way. Shirley's role was essential- cleaning up the mountain of pots, pans, and trays that accumulated in a kitchen serving a 100 seater restaurant. It's hard, thankless work, and she approached it with quiet determination. Shirley was a woman of few words, her thick Gloucestershire accent emerging only occasionally when she needed to. With her short crew cut and no-nonsense attitude, she was a constant, steady presence, head down and hands always busy.

But Professional kitchens aren't just about camaraderie- they're about proving yourself, and Tubby's was no exception. Stan, like many chefs I had worked with before, wasn't one to warm up to new staff straight away. He had a quiet but fierce demeanour and an air of scepticism that made it clear: respect had to be earned. By the time I started at Tubby's, I was used to that dynamic. In kitchens like these, you keep your head down, work fast, stay efficient, and, most importantly, produce food that speaks for itself. Once you can prove that you can handle the pace, the quality, and the pressure, the walls begin to come down.

Baking in Sync

Professional cooking is hard work - fast paced, relentless, and demanding. It's not just about cooking or baking; it's about juggling multiple tasks, managing timings, and staying organised while the pressure mounts. You rarely make one thing at a time. A typical day might involve getting a batch of cakes in the oven - which would be five 10-inch cakes at once - then immediately starting on pastry for tarts, soaking fruit for tea loaves, or prepping for the next round of baking. And here's the thing - that whirlwind of activity? that’s just the first two hours, if that, of an eight-hour shift. You can imagine how full on the rest of the day is!

And when the pace shifts from manageable to manic, having a teammate you can rely on is everything. Just one mistake can send ripples through the entire kitchen, and when the heat is on, you need to be in sync. Emma and I were just that - a team.

Emma had the kind of beautiful soul that made even the hardest days easier. Sweet-natured and full of passion for cooking, she was the perfect person to share that side of the kitchen with. When the rush quieted down and there was space to breath, we'd chat for hours about life, recipes, and dreams. Those moments of connection were as nourishing as the food we created.

The cake section was my happy place, even in the madness. It was a hive of activity, with a minimum of 8 different traybakes, tea loaves, muffins, tarts, croissants, and a dessert bar laden with creations like banoffee pies, pavlovas, chocolate roulades, genoise sponges filled with pastry cream. And then there were the brown sugar scones.

I couldn't make enough of them. These scones were baked fresh daily, and on weekends, we churned them out throughout the day to keep up with the endless queues that stretched into the garden centre. their sweet, caramel-like aroma filled the air, drawing people in like bees to honey.

Even now, almost 30 years later, I carry that recipe with me. Whether I'm baking the classic brown sugar version or adding white chocolate and dried cranberries for a festive twist, these scones remain a staple in my kitchen - and in my heart.

Want the Recipe ?

This brown sugar scone recipe is so special to me that I've made it the centre piece of my baking freebie. Subscribe for free Here to get access to the recipe and bake your own batch of these irresistible treats. I promise, there is nothing quite like them !

Lets keep baking together - one scone at a time