The Culture War on National Trust Scones. Slight reprise. No longer accused of being Woke
As recently as November 2024 the Daily Telegraph was claiming that scones sold in National Trust cafes were woke and vegan.
The National Trust has been the subject of a Culture War backed by the likes of Farage and Rees Mogg for a while now. There is an organisation, Restore, in fact like Reform UK, a company, that perpetually tries to get members elected to the Trust’s governing body and challenge policy.
Meanwhile William S*itwell, the Telegraph’s restaurant critic and fanatical anti-vegan wrote a piece criticising a motion passed at the 2024 Newcastle AGM which said NT cafes should look to sell more plant based food. This of course was in line with the Trust’s climate change policies.
It did not suggest that any cafe should become vegan or indeed dictate any change to the recipe for scones. The scones have long been an obsession of the Restore mob and Sitwell quotes someone who thinks the scones are ‘woke’
Moving on to July 2025 The Times has published an article and an Editorial raising concerns that some NT cafes will no longer sell fresh scones baked on the premises but bought in scones which might not be as fresh. Apparently the scones are no longer regarded as Woke.
Unlike most stories about the NT in the right-wing media the story does have substance to it. The NT are trying to push through job cuts that would mean redundancies including chefs. Around 10% of the NT’s cafes- the smaller one- will under the proposals not sell scones made on the premises as a result. Prospect the union representing NT workers is challenging the changes.
A campaign to Save Jobs & Save Scones is required
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