If you do not have a beach body by this point in the summer, I think it is fair to say you aren’t going to get one.

You’ve probably already done all the parading about shirtless that you ought to, so it’s time to finish the summer with some proper food: scones.

They may be inexpensive (and frankly, quick and easy to make) but you don’t want your afternoon indulgence ruined by a dry husk instead of Devonshire delight.

We visited the major supermarkets and enlisted a team of dedicated taste testers to find out whose scones were worth pairing with your clotted cream and jam.

ALDI

All Butter Scones, 55p for four (13.75p each)

News Shopper:

Average score: 4.25 out of 5

The Good: Aldi’s scones have a great buttery flavour and a good texture which the majority of our team found not too crumbly or dry

The Bad: One of two of our team found they fell apart in their hands, leaving them a jammy mess.

LIDL

Rowan Hill Bakery Sultana Scones, 85p for six (14.2p each)

Average score: 3 out of 5

The Good: Dense, crumbly and cakey with good flavour and lots of fruit. Able to sustain a lot of clotted cream.

The Bad: Chewy currants which didn’t really add to the flavour. Quite dry.

ASDA

Chosen by You Butter and Sultana Scones, 50p for four (12.5p each)

Average score: 2.5

The Good: A classic, buttery flavour and it was, again, a good conduit for the cream.

The Bad: A bit of a mouthful to eat because of its dryness and density.

MORRISONS

Fresh Cherry Scones, 65p for four (16.25p each)

Average score: 2

The Good: Fruity with a reasonable flavour

The Bad: Morrisons scones were odd creatures, especially because they were rounded little blobs rather than scone-like. They were also dry: one reviewer wrote ‘I nearly suffocated. My throat started to close up and I started sweating.’

TESCO

Haywood and Padgett’s large cherry and sultana scones, £1 for eight (12.5p each)

News Shopper:

Average score: 4

The Good: Light and fluffy in texture but held together nicely. Had a great amount of fruit yet tasted buttery. ‘It was like summer exploded in my mouth’.

The Bad: A bit plain looking and tasting

AND THE WINNER IS...SAINSBURY’S

News Shopper:

All Butter Scones, £1 for six (16.7p each)

Average score: 4.5

The Good: A few extra pence clearly well spent. Sainsbury’s effort was sweet, fruity and very buttery. They looked great and just about held together.

The Bad: Just a little too crumbly.

  • Which goes first – jam or cream?

Frankly, here at News Shopper we’ve heard enough of this debate that gets bandied around every time someone opens a jar.

Apparently the Devonshire folk put the cream first, the Cornish go jam first, blah blah blah.

Let’s end the discussion: you put the cream on first, ok? If anyone now asks, tell them to ‘shhh’ and simply dollop cream on their scone.

As for the other one debate, it’s pronounced scone.