Going out for a wholesome afternoon of tiny sandwiches, delicious sweet treats and endless cups of tea is an ideal Sunday, but you don’t have to fork out loads of cash for your afternoon tea fix. Not when you can celebrate Afternoon Tea Week (7–13 August) from the comfort of your own home with easy but tasty recipes to satisfy those sweet cravings.

According to the UK Tea and Infusions Association, four out of five Brits like to pair their cups of tea with something to eat to keep them going, and we simply have to agree.

First up, we’re sticking to the classics with a traditional scone from Jack Hazan and Michael Harari but with your own twist. Whether you’re into your sweet or savoury, there’s a range of toppings to choose from to level up your afternoon tea game. Or why not go full Bridgerton with raspberry and lemon mille-feuilles or try a taste of Paris (from your own kitchen) with baker Frank Adrian Barron’s blueberry lemon bundt.

Choose-Your-Own Scone

Jack says: “Commitment is scary. This cute little recipe allows you to combat that fear by encouraging you to choose your own adventure. Feeling sweet? Savoury? I’ve got you covered. And it’s OK if your mood changes! Be mindful of where your inner voice wants to lead you today with these low-pressure scones.”

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients

For the scones:

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150ml) buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup (110g) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

Optional toppings:

Lemon blueberry – Add the grated zest of one lemon to the dry ingredients and fold ⅓ cup (45g) of blueberries into the chilled flour and butter mixture before stirring in the wet ingredients. Glaze with ½ cup (60g) of powdered sugar mixed with two tablespoons of buttermilk.

Maple walnut – Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon and ⅓ cup (40g) of toasted and chopped walnuts to the dry ingredients. Glaze with ½ cup (60g) of powdered sugar mixed with three tablespoons of maple syrup.

Savoury cheddar and chive – Cut the sugar back to two tablespoons and add ½ cup (40g) of shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup (5g) of chopped chives to the chilled flour and butter mixture before stirring in the wet ingredients.

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the butter into the flour mixture and mix the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until you get small chunks of butter that are covered with flour. Place the flour and butter mixture in the freezer for five minutes to re-chill. Remove from the freezer. If making blueberry or savoury cheddar and chive scones, add the mix-ins and toss carefully to coat in the flour. Add the buttermilk mixture slowly and gently mix with a rubber spatula until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 2cm thick. Fold the dough into thirds in the shape of a letter, cut the now smaller rectangle crosswise into four equal pieces, and cut each piece into two triangles.

Put the scone wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least one hour in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Bake the scones for 16 to 20 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. If you made sweet scones and want to add a glaze, do it now. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to two days.

From Mind Over Batter: 75 Recipes for Baking as Therapy by Jack Hazan, with Michael Harari (£26, Chronicle Books), out now.

Raspberry and lemon mille-feuilles

Katherine says: “It’s a pretty flaky person who pretends to be from a different country in order to exude an air of sophistication. This flaky, buttery French pastry surely must be a favourite of the artful Madame Delacroix.”

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 250g ready-made puff pastry dough, thawed if frozen
• 5 tablespoons lemon curd
• 300ml crème fraîche
• 400g fresh raspberries
• Icing sugar, to dust
• A baking sheet, greased and lined

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) Gas 6.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5mm/¼in, then trim it to a 30x15cm/12x6in rectangle. Using a sharp knife, slice the pastry into eight squares of equal size and arrange them on the baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until puffed up and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Once cool, use a serrated knife to carefully cut each pastry square in half horizontally to create 16 pieces. When ready to assemble the mille-feuilles, arrange eight of the pastry rectangles on a serving platter.

Fold the lemon curd into the crème fraîche and spread about two tablespoons of the lemon cream on top of each one. Top with raspberries and a second pastry rectangle. Dust lightly with icing sugar as soon as possible.

From The Bridgerton Book of Afternoon Tea by Katherine Bebo (£9.99, Ryland Peters & Small), out now.

Blueberry lemon bundt

Frank says: “In the first few weeks of June, I start pestering the vendors at my local épicerie on rue de Bretagne with questions about when we might expect myrtille sauvage (wild blueberries) to come in. The tiny blueberries – usually from regions in the east of France like Vosges and Ardèche – are small in size, but pack an intense blueberry flavour. I call this a breakfast or brunch Bundt since it’s bursting with both blueberries and buttermilk. The lemon brightens things up and, if you decide to add the glaze, why not go all out and decorate with a crown of dark berries?”

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the blueberry lemon cake:

• 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus additional for greasing
• 2¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon (352g) all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
• 1½ teaspoons (6g) baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon (1g) baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon (1g) fine sea
• salt 
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons (12g) grated lemon zest (from two lemons)
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ teaspoons (7.5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar 
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups (10 ounces/280g) fresh blueberries, ideally wild

For the lemon glaze:

• 1⅓ cups (167g) powdered sugar, plus additional as needed
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) whole milk, plus additional as needed
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ cups (8 ounces/225g) dark summer berries, such as blueberries and blackberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease and flour a 10–12 cup (2.4–2.8l) Bundt pan or use baking spray; set aside.

Set aside 1 tablespoon (8g) of the flour. Place the remaining flour in a medium bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about four minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries in the reserved one tablespoon (8g) flour. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter using a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cake is golden brown. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the pan to cool completely.

From Sweet Paris: Seasonal Recipes from an American Baker in France by Frank Adrian Barron (£20, HarperCollins), out now.

Images: Lauren Volo; Ryland Peters & Small; Joann Pai