Orchard Scones

The grand opening of our Orchard Cookhouse last weekend was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who came out for the occasion! For those of you who weren't able to make it, I'll give you a recap of the events. Last Sunday, we launched both, our new Orchard Cookhouse and Economusee at Merridale.

The event featured demonstrations by Northwest Raptors, artists in the orchard, tons of fun activities for the kids and a special small bites menu in the restaurant and luckily for us the sun was out and the weather was beautiful for the event!

We are proud to be the first Economusee site in British Columbia and to become an integral part of the 65 sites across North America and Northern Europe. As you tour the orchard, you will find that we have replaced all of the signage that explains the cider production with new Economusee signs. The signs are now more interactive, written in both French and English and include QR codes so that our guests that want to learn more are able to access the site easily with their smartphones.

We are also glad to have our outdoor kitchen open for the season. After seeing what a success the brick oven has been for the bakery and pizza nights, we decided that we wanted to incorporate this outdoor cooking into all of our meals so we have launched the Outdoor Cookhouse. Our original brick oven has been expanded to include two brick ovens, a bbq and a smoker, which has allowed us to greatly expand our menu options. With the new kitchen we are featuring a whole new menu focusing on gourmet burgers, smoked meats and vegetables and all new salads. The best part is that the menu changes daily with a lengthy list of daily specials. In honour of the launch of the cookhouse and because we know that Orchard Scones are popular among our customers, we wanted to share the recipe for our very own Orchard Scones with you.

Orchard Scones

4 cups bread flours

2 tbsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter

Crumb the cold butter into the dry ingredient.

1/8 cup oats

2 tbsp flax seeds

2 tbsp bran flakes

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp dried apricots (diced)

1/8 cup pecan halves (chopped)

Mix and add to dry ingredients.

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

4 tbsp honey

Add to dough until it is formed and then drop dough onto baking sheets and brush the tops with egg wash (eggs and water).

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and serve warm with honey and butter.

Michelle