Jennifer Paterson

Scones

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Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Makes About Serves

    12

Appears in

Two Fat Ladies: Gastronomic Adventures (with Motorbike and Sidecar)

Two Fat Ladies

By Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright

Published 1996

Fresh scones, still warm from the oven, are part and parcel of the delicious teas of my childhood. No-one seems to make them nowadays, they buy terrible things in supermarkets tasting of bi-carb and studded with soggy fruits. They take but a moment, do try them. The savoury ones are perfect to eat with cocktails and you can make them in miniature.

Ingredients

  • 225 g/8 oz self-raising flour
  • a small pinch of salt
  • 55 g/2 oz butter
  • 150 ml/¼ pint milk, fresh or sour

Method

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it all resembles crumbs. Mix in the milk. Form into a soft dough with a palette knife. Knead lightly on a floured board, then pat out into a round 2 cm/¾ in thick. Cut into 5 cm/2 in rounds with a cutter or a little cup.

Place on a greased and floured baking tray and brush with milk. Bake in preheated oven at 220°C425°F/Gas 7 for 10 minutes until well risen and brown. Cool on a rack but eat when still warm, with lots of butter, clotted cream and jam. Yummo.

Variations

Sweet scones: Add 55g/2 oz caster sugar to the dry ingredients.

Fruit scones: Add 55g/2 oz dried fruit and 25g/1oz caster sugar.

Savoury scones: Add 85g/3 oz finely grated hard cheese and 1 tsp dry mustard or 55g/2 oz chopped olives, anchovies or what you fancy.

© 1996 Jennifer Paterson. All rights reserved.