National Scone Day Date in the current year: May 30, 2025

Scones are baked goods typically made from wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, giving them a crumbly and slightly dense texture. They probably originated in Scotland in the early 16th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “scone” first appears in Gavin Douglas’s translation of Virgil’s Aeneid into Middle Scots, completed in 1513. It may derive from the Dutch word schoonbrood (“fine bread”) or the Gaelic sgonn (“lump”).

Early scones were made with oats and baked on a griddle rather than in an oven. They were flatter and more rustic than modern scones. With the advent of baking powder in the 19th century, scones became lighter and more cake-like, resembling today’s oven-baked, well-leavened pastries.

Scones became closely associated with English afternoon tea, which was introduced and popularized in the mid-19th century by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford. She invented the concept of a light afternoon meal to bridge the gap between lunch and a late dinner, and scones quickly became a staple of the ritual. They are particularly associated with cream tea, an afternoon meal consisting of tea, scones, clotted cream, jam, and occasionally butter.

In the late 1980s, Haywood & Padgett, a Yorkshire-based family bakery, introduced their scones to supermarkets across the UK. Today, scones are widely available in supermarkets, bakeries and convenience stores and are in high demand due to consumers’ increasing preference for convenience foods and impulse purchases.

Commercially sold scones are usually round or, less commonly, hexagonal. Homemade scones can have various shapes, including rounds, squares, and triangles; they are usually made from family recipes passed down from generation to generation. British scones are usually sweetened and may contain currants, raisins, or chopped dates. Savory scones are also popular in Scotland and Ireland. A popular savory scone is the tattie scone, which is made with mashed potatoes and baked on a griddle.

The scone has spread throughout the British Isles and former colonies, with each region adapting it to local tastes. In Australia, for example, there are pumpkin scones, date scones, and deep-fried or pan-fried scones called puftaloons. In New Zealand, scones are considered part of kiwiana (a set of iconic New Zealand items or elements). They often contain cheese and are usually served toasted with butter. American scones are richer than their British counterparts, containing more butter and sugar. They are usually eaten alone, without jam or cream.

The origins of National Scone Day are unclear, but that shouldn’t stop you from celebrating and enjoying this iconic pastry. You can pick up some scones from your local bakery or make your own, host a tea party or scone bake-off, and spread the word on social media using the hashtags #NationalSconeDay and #SconeDay.