The Best Scones in Miami Come Around Just Once a Year

If you hail from the USA, when you think of a scone, you probably picture a giant, crumbly, sugary cross between a cookie and a muffin, perhaps studded with fruit and/or drizzled with a sticky glaze. If you’re British, however, you know what a real scone is: a simple, wholesome biscuit with just a hint of sweetness.

If you’ve only tried the American variety, you’re in for a treat when you get your hands on the real deal.

Unfortunately, in Miami, it’s impossible to find one — unless it’s Presidents’ Day weekend when the Coconut Grove Arts Festival takes place and local baker Nicola Brown sells her wares to raise money for charity.

Born in the north of England, Brown moved to Miami to raise her three daughters when she was in her 20s, but she has been baking for more than 40 years.

“I learned how to bake at the young age of 12 from my late mum, who used to bake scones for my sister and me when we would come home from school,” she tells New Times. “It’s my therapy — relaxing and calming. I love doing it for others because it’s so rewarding and therapeutic.”

Over time, Brown has developed her own original recipes, and in doing so she has earned a reputation among locals in the know. Among her specialties: scones with freshly made jam and homemade clotted cream; lemon pound cake; coffee cake; “Jamble Bars” (jam-filled shortbread); and double chocolate cookies.

“British baked goods are unique, which is why mine have been so popular at the festival,” Brown offers. “I don’t believe you can get a homemade British scone in Miami like mine. The British scone isn’t the American scone. It’s softer and not dry. It doesn’t crumble — it truly melts in your mouth.”

Brown’s bake sale isn’t part of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, per se. Rather, each year since the turn of the millennium, her church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal, has hosted an art festival adjacent to the main event, on the same grounds. Staffed by volunteers, the annual St. Stephen’s Art Show is, in Brown’s words, “the glue that holds the parish together.”

At first the food aspect boiled down to a hot dog stand, with Brown and a fellow Brit selling a small quantity of scones in a St. Stephen’s classroom.

That was then. Now the annual advent of St. Stephen’s English Tea Room is a major undertaking.

“Now, we sell over 300 scones, cakes, and bars each year,” Brown says.

In her spare time, Brown hosts occasional private events at her home, which she calls “Gratitude Teas,” where she spreads “positivi-tea” and emphasizes the role of gratitude in our daily lives.

“I get so much joy out of my Gratitude Tea events — serving my friends and local women’s groups,” she says. “At these events, we focus on what we are grateful for, not just one day a year, but every day giving gratitude to our lives.”

Has she ever considered opening a year-round bakery or teahouse?

The thought has crossed her mind, she admits.

“My soul is happy here,” she’s quick to add. “I love the life in me that I feel when here at the British Tea Room. The warmth of the sunlight and the brightness of the sky energize me and allow me to feel alive and healthy, which gives me the energy to live a full life and spread my positivity.”

If you happen to be in the Grove this weekend for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Festival, you might consider stopping by for some positivi-tea — and a scone or two.

The British Tea Room at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. 2750 McFarlane Rd., Coconut Grove; Saturday, February 17 through Monday, February 19, from noon to 5 p.m.