Vegan Scones With Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Method

1. Place the tin of coconut milk in the fridge to separate the cream.
2. Add the soya milk and apple cider vinegar to a small bowl or jug, stir to combine, then leave to one side to curdle into a vegan buttermilk.
3. Next, sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add the vegan margarine and mix it into the dry mixture with your fingertips until it resembles a crumble. Then pour the vegan buttermilk into the bowl and combine fully.
4. Tip the dough out onto a lightly-floured worktop and knead 4-5 times until completely combined. Wrap the dough in baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 392°F fan-assisted.
6. Meanwhile prepare the coconut cream by opening the can of coconut milk and scooping out the cream that has set at the top (you can add the leftover coconut water to smoothies). Transfer the cream to a mixing bowl along with the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined, then refrigerate so the cream solidifies again.
7. For the jam, remove the stems from the strawberries, slice them, then add them to a saucepan over a high heat and stir in the sugar. Bring to a rapid boil and boil for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, add the balsamic vinegar to the saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the jam from the heat, skim off and discard any foam from the top, then leave to cool for 15 minutes before pouring into a jar. Leave to cool fully before sealing the jar.
8. Once the dough has finished chilling, roll it out until it’s 2-3cm thick and use a round 6cm (2-3”) cutter in diameter to cut out the scones. Re-roll any leftover dough and keep cutting out scones until you have 6-8 scones in total.
9. Place the scones on a large baking tray and brush with olive oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.
10. Leave the scones to cool slightly before serving with the jam and the coconut cream.