Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

I recently visited a bakery in Harrogate and spotted a sweet treat that, despite a different name and a few subtle adaptions, looked very familiar.

It got me thinking about just how many variations were available, and started my search for the 'Yorkshire Rascal' - a search that took me to four coffee shops in Harrogate and Knaresborough to compare this regional delicacy.

Popularised by Bettys - and an important part of its history and branding - a Rascal is a cross between a scone and rock cake, crumbly and packed with flavour, filled with sultanas, currants and raisins depending on your recipe.

I got the bakes from Bettys, Manna Bakery, Crema Coffee Shop and Hirsts Bakery and with a glass of water in hand, I began my experiment.

I carried out a visual assessment, combined with a sniff and taste test to decide what makes each one unique. It wasn’t easy to decide because I loved each one for varied reasons.

These were my findings:

Manna No Name (Manna Bakery)

Weight: 150g.

Visual:  A dark and rich brown colour, with a crunchiness that was from a dusting of sugar creating a lovely crust on the scone. The ratio of currants to scone was balanced.

Smell: A winner for smell, with a rich aroma of cinnamon and almond.

Taste: This reminded me of a treacly cake with notes of dark caramel which could be from the type of sugar that was used – perhaps a dark brown sugar. I loved the taste and there was a light crunch from the sprinkle of sugar which I enjoyed.

Fat Rascal (Bettys)

Weight: 174g.

Visual: This is the traditional look that has long been associated with a Bettys Fat Rascal - dark cherries and three whole almonds forming the smile of a cheeky rascal. This definitely earned the name 'fat' because it was the plumpest of them all. The colour on the bake was even, and the dough inside was darker than a plan fruited scone.

Smell: There was a good hit of citrus flavours and smell from the citrus peels, but I didn’t detect any other spices.

Taste: I always find myself picking out the whole almonds to eat as soon as I buy a Bettys rascal simply because I love my nuts. A bit more flaked almonds would elevate this for me.

Rascal (Hirsts Bakery)

Weight: 130g.

Visual: The Rascal had a lot of raisins and when held, this felt light compared to the others which made me wonder about the dough and I was intrigued to see how this ate compared to the other heavier scones. The dough was cream colour, the same as you would have in a fruited scone.

Smell: I couldn’t detect any spices, though I thought there might have been a hint of vanilla. 

Taste: This would be a winner for any lovers of what I call 'bits in cake'. The raisins were mini ones with a rich, intense and delicious flavour, but there was just too many for me as I'm not a huge fan of raisins, sultanas or currants in bakes unless finely chopped. 

Scoundrel (Crema Coffee Shop)

Weight: 123g.

Visual: This was my winner for looks. The colour on the bake was deep, golden with a lovely shine to it; I loved the generosity of the extra cherry and almond flakes scattered round the top. This was visually beautiful with the brightly coloured cherries in the middle creating a focal point that draws the eyes in.

Smell: I could detect aromas of cherry and almonds because of their abundance, but no other spices.

Taste:  I like that with every bite, you would get some flaked almonds, working well with the rich flavour.

Yemi's verdict

One of the joys of baking and cooking is the creativity that allows us to put our own spin on the same savoury or sweet dishes.

Overall, each bake had something that made it unique - so it would be down to each person’s preferences as to which one you might like.

I for one am glad I live in a county that has many suppliers and varieties of the things we love which means we get to eat, drink well and indulge. That makes us the ‘true overall winners.’