Preheat the oven to 400F/200C (fan) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter into a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
450 g (3 ¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 level tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 7 tbsp cold butter
Add the sugar, cranberries, and orange zest and give it a mix.
85 g (½ cup minus 1 tbsp) golden caster sugar, 200 g (1 cup) dried cranberries, zest of 2 oranges
Break the egg into a small bowl, give it a quick whisk with a fork and then pour it into the flour mixture – reserving 1 tbsp of it for glazing the scones later.
1 large egg
Add in the ¾ of the buttermilk and the vanilla extract and use a round ended knife to work the mixture together. Add the rest of the buttermilk and work in gently until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Don't overwork, or you'll get tough scones.
285 ml (1 cup + 3 tbsp) buttermilk, 1 tsp vanilla extract
Tip out the dough onto a floured surface and flatten it out with your hands into a round shape, about 1” (2.5cm) thick. Use a sharp knife and cut the circle into 8 wedges.
Place the wedges onto the prepared baking tray. Mix the reserved tbsp of egg with the splash of milk and brush the tops only (brushing the sides will impair the rising of the scones) with this mix and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
splash of milk
Remove from the oven, leave to cool and serve sliced in half with clotted cream and jam/jelly.