British Teatime Treats

This banana-filled, caramel pie is a traditional English treat—topped with grated chocolate, it’s perfect for tea time. Get the recipe for Banoffee Pie »

Drenched in sherry and kirsch, our version of a trifle features layer upon layer of ginger cake, custard, berries, chocolate, and cream. It’s a showstopper. Frozen lingonberries can be used if fresh cannot be found. See the recipe for Decadent Trifle »

This moist, spice-laden dessert is based on a traditional English recipe in Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Heavenly Cakes. See the recipe for English Gingerbread Cake »

These pillowy scones are the ideal accompaniment to tea and are delicious with butter, preserves, and clotted cream.

Creamy and spicy, these classic English custard tarts boast all the hallmarks of our favorite eggnogs. See the recipe for Nutmeg Custard Tarts »

A hybrid between traditional sweet scones and salty, buttery biscuits, this all-purpose dough is ideal for all sorts of savory fillings. See the recipe for Savory Scones »

A recipe in The Herbfarm Cookbook (Scribner, 2000) for lavender shortbread inspired this version of the classic cookie.

“The light, delicate fragility of this shortcake sets it apart from the dense and more traditional shortbread that figures large in Scottish cookery,” says chef Jeremy Lee. “It makes a mockery of the idea that Scottish cookery is heavy and stodgy.”

The recipe for these savory cheesecakes came from Linda Ellerbee’s book Take Big Bites; she adapted it from a recipe given to her by the chef at the George Hotel in Wallingford, England. See the recipe for Stilton and Bacon Cheesecakes »

A plum, says Webster’s, is “a raisin when used in desserts;” traditional English plum pudding hasn’t had real plums in it for generations. See the recipe for Plum Pudding »