Little Sisters pull out their secret Irish recipe for scone sale

Tim Leininger, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·2 min read

Mar. 4—ENFIELD — Using a secret recipe from an Irish nun that they have for years, the Little Sisters of the Poor will have their annual St. Patrick's Day scone sale, but with a few changes because of the pandemic. This year, pre-orders will be taken online and the goods will be picked up via the drive-through at St. Joseph Residence.

St. Joseph's houses 85 residents, with 11 nuns who oversee its operation, said Sister Frances, Little Sisters development director.

This year, the Little Sisters are baking 1,000 scones for the sale, raising funds for a walk-in bath for the fourth floor of the residence, Christina Gordon, Little Sisters development secretary, said.

The scones, which have a firm, crumbly outside with a softer cakier inside and a handful of raisins, is an old Irish recipe handed down by Sister Henrietta, who passed it on to Little Sisters' Food Service Coordinator Sister Emilie.

Sister Emilie said that after obtaining the recipe from Sister Henrietta, she has relied on it for more than 20 years to make scones for charitable functions throughout the Northeast, including Providence, Albany, and Nantucket.

"She must have made them her whole life," Sister Emilie said. "She was directly from Ireland. Then she had us do it.

"It's a secret recipe," she said. "She wouldn't give it away. They're really an Irish biscuit.

"Every home that she was in, people would line up for them," Sister Francis said.

Lining up for the scones this year is out of the question, at least in the traditional sense.

Founded in 1839, the Little Sisters of the Poor have been helping elderly poor people for nearly two centuries across 30 countries, a group that is highly susceptible to the COVID-19 virus.

To ameliorate the situation, the scones can be pre-ordered online at LSPScones.givesmart.com, by phone at 860-265-1872, or by texting 76278 to LSPScones, Gordon said. The scones sell for two for $3 and five for $4.

The scones can be picked up via the drive-through service area at St. Joseph's Residence between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17.

The scones are extremely popular, Gordon said, with a limited number of only 1,000. They are expected to sell out before the day of, so be sure to make your order in advance.

For information on the Little Sisters of the Poor in Enfield, or to make a donation, Gordon said, visit their website at: littlesistersofthepoorconnecticut.org

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