1,000 calorie scone peril

That’s how fattening one can be with jam, butter and cream

FIRST there was the fierce debate over how it was pronounced.

Then it was butter knives at dawn over whether the cream or the jam should be spread first. But now the innocent scone is at the centre of another furore – as a potential health hazard.

Researchers have warned that some scones available on the high street contain the equivalent of almost ten spoons of sugar, and when spread with cream, butter and jam, supersize versions come close to an astonishing 1,000 calories – half the recommended daily intake for a woman. A variety of 57 scones sold by large independent coffee shops and cafes in Northern Ireland were tested by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local councils. This included plain, fruit and luxury versions, some of which were based around Mars bars and Cadbury creme eggs.

The report found the average scone calorie count was 408 – 384 for plain, 414 for fruit and 431 for luxury, with an average weight of 129g. But one fruit scone, which weighed 233g (more than 8oz), contained about 750 calories and 39.2g of sugar, which is equal to just under ten teaspoons. The tests did not take into account toppings and so the FSA said adding butter or cream and jam would raise the count by an average of 187 calories.

A luxury raspberry and white chocolate scone was found to contain 14g of saturated fat – the same amount as that found in seven pork sausages and 70 per cent of what a woman should eat for an entire day.

Fionnuala Close, from the FSA, said the research was designed to help tackle obesity, adding ‘it is important to know what calories are in larger scones and to choose smaller portions, when available’.

Food that’s killing us – Page 16