Two Perthshire eateries are among the first in Scotland to offer customers the new invention which is a cross between a scone and a calzone.
There’s a new kid on the block when it comes to baked goods, but this time it’s an unusual take on a scone – a “sconezone”.
Made to be the same size as a calzone but using a savoury scone base, the new invention is the brainchild of John More, who runs his own artisan bakery in Perthshire called Johns Scone Mad.
A trained chef who worked for many years in restaurants up and down the country and across the world, John admits his love has always been for making scones, which is why he’s given up working in the restaurant industry for a world of baking at his premises in Bridge of Earn.
Sconezones
John said: “I’ve worked in quite a lot of places all over the world – I love travelling and I’m a chef by trade. I love scones and I’ve always made them and the sconezones have just come through experimentation, really. One day I was working somewhere, I rolled the scone pastry out and realised I could fold it and do stuff with it.
“They are basically the size of a calzone and they are made in the same way. Calzones are made using a pizza base, but I make these with a savoury scone base – hence the name ‘sconezone’.
“From the base, it’s then folded and then baked. So it’s the same process as making a calzone. The different flavours are also experimentation. A lot of these flavours go into my favourite scones. They’re just like a larger variation of those. It’s my scones but stuffed into a pastry.
Foodies who are fans of scones, but partial to the odd calzone or pizza, will be delighted to hear that they can now have a bit of both through John’s Sconezone invention.
He continued: “Scone dough is very similar to other doughs and I just thought you can fill this with any flavour you like. I’ve put chorizo in them, I’ve put feta in them, I’ve done Mediterranean ones and haggis ones, and black pudding ones.
“It kind of looks like a Cornish pasty as well and is the perfect finger food, which is what I was aiming for – something that can be for the festival kind of season, and something you don’t need a knife and fork with. It’s picnic food and you can cut them in half. Folk are loving them!”
In stock
Mhor Coffee House in Perth and a coffee shop in Stirling have been stocking the sconezones for a couple of weeks, and selling out fast. Dome Restaurant in Blairgowrie was also announced on May 13 as being one of the next places to stock the popular delights.
John added: “At the moment it’s Mhor Coffee in Perth, Dome Restaurant in Blairgowrie and a place in Stirling that are stocking them and I will keep them with just those places for now. Mhor has been really good and I wanted somewhere that was nice and has that artisan feel about it. I want the sconezones to be quite special and have a personal touch to them, so I don’t want to go into manufacturing them just yet.
“It takes me a couple of hours to make a batch but I’m a chef by trade so it doesn’t take me long. I have my own bakery in Perthshire and I’m like Willy Wonka in there – I’m just coming up with new ideas all the time. I try to be as creative as possible and I enjoy it!
“The sconezones can also be purchased from me directly, but it’s been nice to get them into places.”
Taste test
Perth-based Courier reporter Anita Diouri went to Mhor Coffee House to sample the goods with Mhor Coffee owner Tricia Fox.
Anita said: “I sampled four different flavours of the sconezones and they were actually pretty good! They kind of tasted like pizza, but in a good way and were slightly bigger shaped, almost like a steak pie.
“The four flavours that Mhor Coffee House had were chorizo, black pudding, ham and cheese, and feta, tomato and pepper.
“For the chorizo one, I’d say it’s definitely for the spice lovers. It has a strong spiciness to it without being too overpowering.
“The black pudding sconezone is really flavoursome, with lots of cheese through it. It would work great as a breakfast piece, as well as lunch.
“For the ham and cheese one it was a filling sconezone with some sweet chilli sauce that added to the flavour. It tastes very similar to a pizza.
“The vegetarian option (feta, tomato and pepper) is incredible. It has a caramelised taste to it, almost like caramelised onions. There isn’t one element that is too overpowering and the filling complement each other really well.
“I wanted something that would be really seriously tasty, and I think I’ve made it because people are loving them. It’s almost making scones more fashionable.”
Have some Mhor
Tricia Fox, owner of Mhor Coffee House in Perth and joint taste-tester with Anita, says she is delighted to be able to offer her customers the new sconezones from John.
She says: “We are really delighted that Mhor Coffee is able to serve our customers the brand new sconezone. John’s artisan baking skills are second to none and the variety of flavours are a real taste sensation.
“We’ve all got our favourite, mine is definitely the ham, cheddar and sweet chilli sconezone which has a bit of a kick, thanks to the sweet chilli sauce, but the black pudding, cheddar and spiring onion is already going down a storm in the café.
“I think folk are so tired of eating their own home cooked meals after months of lockdown, the sconezones really awaken those tastebuds and are just the right size for a light and tasty lunch.”
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