Some people call it stuffy, but I think Wimbledon might be my favourite tennis tournament. It’s old, it’s prestigious, it’s classy.  I love the traditions, the white outfits, the grass, the pineapple atop of the quirky trophy, and the strawberries and cream that are a must for any Wimbledon breakfast.  This year, I’m excited to be getting a double dose of tennis at the All England Lawn Tennis Club — first we had the Grand Slam tournament earlier this summer and now the Olympics back at Wimbledon for London 2012…yipee!

Canadians got to cheer on Milos Raonic yesterday as he put up an impressive fight in a  marathon match against the 5th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France. It was a nail biter, and I’m sure the lucky people in the stadium were pretty happy with the tennis they paid to see!

While I’m a pretty big Federer fan –I was thrilled when he won his 7th Wimbledon Championship this year– now that our Canadian contender is out I think I’ll be rooting for Andy Murray. I’ve never really been enamored with the Scottish tennis player, but after his hard-fought final against Federer a few weeks ago I think he’s deserving of a big win! Wouldn’t it be fun to see Murray win gold in front of the home crowd?? I think so!

With all this tennis at Wimbledon you have to indulge in a Wimbledon breakfast (not that you have to wait for tennis to have a good breakfast)! The traditional strawberries and cream, English breakfast tea, a mimosa if you want to get fancy and fresh warm scones will compliment your British tennis viewing very nicely. I’m usually all for adapting recipes to make them healthier, but I think you should treat these scones as an indulgence and just go for the full buttery goodness. (I’m sure that is the proper English way of doing it anyway, right?) Enjoy the Olympics!

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones (from Canadian Living Baking)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups blueberries (raspberries, cranberries, raisins, or other dried fruit will work, too!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers, cut in the cubes of butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Add in the buttermilk and the egg — stir with a fork until the dough comes together. If using the blueberries (or other fruit/add-in), stir them in gently to incorporate them evenly throughout the dough.  On a floured surface, pat the dough into a 1-inch thick round.  You can roll the dough into a rectangle directly onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cut them diagonally into triangles (don’t separate them before baking). Or, using a lightly floured round cutter, cut out your scones and place on the baking tray. If you don’t have a cutter, you can use a cup that is the size you want — just make sure you flour the rim so the dough doesn’t stick.
Bake at 425F until the tops are golden and scones seem firm.  About 16 minutes, rotating the scones halfway through.
Enjoy plain or serve with Devonshire cream, butter or jam.