Scone witch is a uniquely charming and delicious establishment located in the heart of Ottawa, Canada. This cozy little eatery specializes in handcrafted scones that are made with love and attention to detail. The scones at Scone witch are unlike any you have ever tasted. They are crisp on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. Each scone is made from scratch using only the finest and freshest ingredients. From classic flavors like blueberry and chocolate chip, to more unique combinations like apple cheddar and bacon maple, there is a scone to suit every taste.

The perfect scone

I have to begin this inaugural post with a disclaimer. I don’t even really like scones. Prior to being bewitched, I had only eaten one scone worth blogging about, at the garden restaurant of the Ritz Paris. It was divine, but so was the cream, and the jam, and the garden, and the whole sensory experience is, in retrospect, hard to properly untangle.

Then I moved to Ottawa from Montreal a few years ago. The thing about Ottawa is, it’s much nicer than it used to be, and much more cool than people think it is. Ottawa is that slightly stand-offish girl at a party, who looks deadly bored and is dressed in an ill-fitting suit, but who opens up and tells you about her t-shirt design business and her weekend job as a DJ when you take the time to talk to her.

What? Scones, you say? OK, ok.

So one of the first places I discovered in Ottawa was the Scone Witch. At the time, she had two locations, one in a lovely old home at Albert and Lyon (in the heart of Ottawa’s “business” area downtown) and one on Crichton in New Edinburgh (essentially a doorway and a counter-top).

Heather Matthews is indeed a witch; there is simply no other moniker for a woman who can do such marvelous things to a scone. Not to mention the play-on-words of the name of the establishment: Heather may be the witch, but among the other white magic she performs, she also makes her scones into sandwiches (or, of course, sconewitches).

The scones in question are both light and crunchy, with the perfect mix of flavours (she makes sweet ones: vanilla cream, lemon-poppyseed, orange-cranberry; and savoury ones: cheddar, herb and onion). They are never, ever dry. You can eat them on their own, and they are an adventure, or you can opt for the more traditional accompaniment of Devon cream and/or jam.

Behold my favourite, a cheddar sconewitch with tuna and black olive paste.

In addition to your regular scones (individually priced, or by the half-dozen or dozen; also available frozen or day-old) and your sconewitches, you can also get a lovely breakfast (eggs and veggies with a scone, and a tiny salad and fruit garnish), or a mealwitch. Oh, and of course you can get infinite varities of tea, strong coffee, and cool drinks (I love her even more for stocking Bottle Green drinks – why is Elderflower so hard to find in North America?)

The Scone Witch has made some changes in the (few) years since I have been in Ottawa, also: she closed down the Crichton St. closet, and opened a much larger (thank God!) location in the heart of Beechwood Village here in Ottawa, a location with lovely big windows looking right out to Beechwood (and in the same building as Books on Beechwood), featuring the same simple pale wood furnishings as the Kent and Lyon location. She also sells lovely cards, tea cosies, and assorted other crafty items, especially in the larger Beechwood Village location.

For many years, my place of employment (and some of the librarians I consort with) have used Scone Witch’s catering services for events. Nothing takes the edge off another professional meeting like a Scone Witch scone. In fact, recently, a colleague tried to entice me to an event with the promise of lunch-time catering from Scone Witch. It almost worked (perhaps thankfully, it does take more than a scone to buy me).

We almost had a Witch – Librarian schism looming, as the site for our new Central Library was intended to be the city block on which Scone Witch’s original location (Albert and Lyon) now sits. Alas, plans for this site fell through, thereby meaning librarians had to both breathe a sigh of relief and feel disappointed at the same time.

So I suppose you are wondering, did I have any scones when I was recently in England? No! Why would I bother? The perfect scone is just a hop, skip and a jump away for me! Hooray!

Try It You Might Like It

On a recent visit to Ottawa, Ontario we stayed at the Albert at Bay suite hotel which luckily was across the street from The Scone Witch restaurant. Once I tasted the Cucumber Cream Cheese on an herb and onion scone I went back everyday to have one. Since I live about 8 hours away from Ottawa getting a sandwich from The Scone Witch is out of the question so I had to recreate it on my own. I’ll be eating this every day this week since no one is willing to try it. That’s okay this time since there will be more for me.

Herb & Onion Scones (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 scallion, sliced crosswise including the white & green parts
1 Tbsp minced fresh dill
6 Tbsp chilled butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup light cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in scallion and dill. Cut in butter. Combine egg and light cream; add to dry mixture. Stir until just moistened.
Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead 12 to 15 strokes or till nearly smooth. Pat to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.
Place scones 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, serve warm. Make 10-12 scones.

Cream Cheese Cucumber Scone Sandwich

Herb & onion scones
Cream cheese
Cucumber slices
Baby greens
Mango Pepper jelly (The Scone Witch uses Cranberry Mango Chutney, but I couldn’t find that.)

Assemble the sandwich with the baby greens on the bottom of a sliced scone, cucumber slices on top of that, then the cream cheese, finally topping with a dollop of mango pepper jelly and the other half of the scone. Serve immediately.

After a ‘trying year,’ The SconeWitch opens Westboro location

Despite a year of setbacks, The SconeWitch is finally serving fresh pastries from its fourth location, located in Westboro.

Heather Matthews, owner of The SconeWitch, said the store had wanted to “hit the ground running” when she signed its lease in early 2020, but had to delay its opening until Jan. 22, 2021 due to the pandemic.

The SconeWitch sells ten different varieties of fresh and frozen scones, produced at their Cyrville location and baked at the stores all day long. They sell a special flavour every month, such as caramel apple in August, blueberry in September and pumpkin in October. The locations also serve espresso, coffee, tea and sandwiches.

The SconeWitch started in 2004 when Matthews purchased and fixed up a small vacant building on Cyrville Road. Since then, the company has opened locations on Elgin Street, Beechwood Avenue and, most recently, at 393 Winston Ave. in Westboro.

Matthews had initially planned only to operate the store for a few years but, sixteen years later, she is still not ready to quit.

“I jokingly say that I’m semi-retired: I only work 40 hours a week,” she said.

Ever since the first location opened, people had been asking Matthews when they would launch a store in Westboro. Initially, she was not at all interested.

“In my experience, shopping in Westboro is fine if you have the time to look around, but if you want to stop and pick things up then it’s a pain in the neck to find a place to park.”

But when the space on Winston Avenue became available, Matthews saw the building had parking for several cars and street parking. It was the perfect spot to set up a new location.

The SconeWitch has faced several setbacks during what Matthews described as a “very trying year.” Their main freezer broke down several times during the middle of 2020 and had to be replaced. The delivery van got rear-ended and was written off. And Matthews said she paid for a year’s lease on the Westboro location without making any money and was not eligible for a rent rebate from the government because the store wasn’t operational.

Like many restaurants, the closing of indoor dining meant The SconeWitch had to pivot its operations. They modified the website to allow for home delivery of frozen scones, fresh jams, and house-blend coffees and tea on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Matthews said they had two drivers doing eighty deliveries a day during their busiest times, but, with restrictions recently being loosened, they are down to twenty drops a day.

The Westboro location has not yet opened for indoor dining, as construction continues on its dining room. In the meantime, Matthews said the store is a great location, and she’s enjoying serving fresh scones in Westboro.

The SconeWitch’s Westboro location is currently open Wednesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reviews for "The Rise of Scone Witch: A Journey through Generations of Bakers"

1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with my experience at Scone witch. The service was extremely slow and the staff seemed disinterested in helping customers. The scones themselves were dry and lacked flavor. I expected a lot more from a place that specializes in scones. I won't be returning anytime soon.

2. Sarah - 1 star - I had high hopes for Scone witch, but I was left feeling underwhelmed. The scones were overpriced for what you get. They were dense and lacked the light and flaky texture I was expecting. The selection of toppings and spreads was limited, and the staff seemed uninterested in providing recommendations. Overall, it was a disappointing experience.

3. Mike - 2 stars - Scone witch was not what I expected. The scones were mediocre at best, and there was nothing special about them. I also found the prices to be quite high for what I received. Additionally, the atmosphere was loud and chaotic, making it difficult to enjoy my meal. I won't be returning to Scone witch anytime soon.

4. Emily - 2 stars - I was excited to try Scone witch, but unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype. The scones lacked the traditional taste and texture I was expecting. They were dry and didn't have the right balance of sweetness. The service was also subpar, with long wait times and unfriendly staff. Overall, I was disappointed with my experience and won't be recommending Scone witch to others.

5. David - 1 star - Scone witch was a huge letdown. The scones were stale and tasted like they had been sitting out for too long. The tea selection was also limited and the prices were outrageous. I was expecting a cozy and inviting atmosphere, but instead, it was crowded and uncomfortable. I wouldn't go back to Scone witch.

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