Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed—the mixture should smell deeply fragrant, with no clumps of cinnamon visible.

Cut in the cold butter. Drop the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with some pea-sized butter pieces still visible. You should feel the cool butter bits under your fingers—this is what creates flaky layers.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract until smooth and evenly orange. The mixture should look like a thick, creamy milkshake and smell faintly of vanilla and pumpkin.

Combine wet and dry. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or spatula just until a shaggy dough forms—do not overmix. The dough will look rough and slightly sticky, with some dry patches remaining. This is exactly what you want.

Chill the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently bring it together with your hands, patting it into a rough rectangle about 2cm thick. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours). The dough should feel firm and cold to the touch before baking.

Preheat and shape. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a floured surface. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 8 triangles—like you’re slicing a pizza. The cut edges should be clean, not ragged.

Bake until golden. Arrange the scones on the prepared tray, spacing them about 3cm apart. Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the bottoms are deep golden brown and the tops are lightly bronzed. The kitchen should smell of toasty butter and warm pumpkin spice. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Glaze and cool. Let the scones cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. While they cool, whisk together the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable—it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Drizzle generously over the warm scones. The glaze will set into a glossy, crackled finish as it cools.