The recent furor over the British royal wedding brought several things to the attention of the Western world. Immediately following the event of the century was a higher-than-usual demand for outlandish hats, princess-like wedding dresses and tea parties.

With tea parties, scones cannot be too far behind. The small, baked and biscuit-like cakes of Scottish origin are tea party staples. At the Calabasas Farmers Market last Saturday, there was a gamut of flavors available, royal wedding or not.

Mother-Daughter Tandem

Just like its recipes, the shapes of scones have evolved over time, from the traditional round ones to triangles and even hearts. Valerie Whalin, owner of Charmed Scones was cutting up and serving samples of her heart-shaped scones.

A cook and baker all her life, just like her mother, Whalin got into the scone-making business when her daughter was about to get married. “She needed wedding favors and we looked into scones,” she said.

Two years later, mom and daughter are partners in their Encino-based business. Whalin does most of the baking and mans the farmers market booths in Calabasas and the downtown L.A. area from Wednesday to Sunday. Her daughter takes care of customer service and online order fulfillment.

Stacks of Scones

Whalin has over 50 recipes and varieties for scones, but usually carries about 15 in every farmers market, preferring to offer a select number of core flavors. At most of the farmers markets, market-goers are sure to find bittersweet chocolate chip, cinnamon bun, fresh lemon, oatmeal brown sugar and glazed candied ginger.

“We rotate the flavors too depending on demand and the availability of ingredients,” said Whalin, who uses only locally sourced ingredients.

When they are in season, there are scones with raspberries and cream and also strawberries and cream. Blueberry scones are also seasonal, but can be quite in demand when they are available.

To make things more interesting, Whalin also likes to rotate other flavors including Cadbury chunk, coconut cream, orange with cranberries, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, triple chocolate chunk, apple strudel, maple and maple bacon.

Baked fresh daily, the sweet and savory scones retail for $3 per package or two packages for $5 at the farmers markets. A package contains two petite scones.

“Online, we sell them by the dozen, so the pricing is a little different,” said Whalin, who will ship anywhere in the US.

There are vegan and gluten-free versions, too, and the choices include chocolate chip, cinnamon bun, fresh lemon and blueberries, when they are in season.

Most scones are best paired with jams, marmalades, honey, butter and lemon curd, according to Whalin. They are usually good for three to four days and taste better if warmed in the oven.

The Calabasas Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday at 23504 Calabasas Road, across the street from the Sagebrush Cantina.