Melbourne’s respected baker with a penchant for tradition once read beetroot blinis with smoked salmon were served at the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William – and thus, a vibrant take on the bakery classic was born.

Piping hot, wonderfully fluffy and light scones with a good dollop of jam and cream have comforted us through the ages. Brilliant in their simplicity, scones personify everything Phillippa is about: uncomplicated ingredients handled with love.
“We insist on using good quality butter rather than margarine, and in this recipe we’ve used freshly juiced beetroot juice, which can also be bought directly from an organic juice bar,” Phillippa says.
“I’m also a big advocate for using full cream unhomoginsed milk.
“As Gabriel Gate once said, you need to try a recipe up to four times to get it right, especially when attempting a challenging technique. That’s why I suggest those who haven’t perfected scones to attempt a Lemonade scone. It’s practically foolproof, and I like bakers to have an easy win to build their confidence.
“The more traditional scone recipe, which we’ve done here, requires a little more skill in rubbing in the butter. But both require caution to not over-handle the dough.
“The sweetness of the currants marries surprisingly well with smoked salmon in this recipe. They are equally delicious served simply with butter.
“And who doesn’t recognise how effective the colour of beetroot can be?”

Beetroot Currant Scone