Recipe: Chilli Cheese Scones

In the stakes of simple cooking there is little more that is more simplistic than the Great British classic of the scone. No matter how you say the word – whether it sCONe or sCONE – nothing takes away from the fact that after the chaos of Christmas these are a great bake to coax you back into kitchen. Something that needs encouragement for most!

Incidentally, I recently watched a programme in which an elite London based Etiquette Trainer (yes, that’s a real job title) explained the correct way to say scone is in fact sCONe…..apparently that’s because once they’re sCONe they’re sCONe. The jury’s still out on that one.

If you’re looking for a nice simple recipe with guaranteed success give these chilli cheese scones a try. A great savoury alternative to the classic cream tea, and particularly tasty when paired with a nice tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 chilli (deseeded depending on your spice tolerance)

75g butter

125g grated Cheddar cheese

175ml milk

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and chilli into a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp salt and the butter. Rub the butter and flour mix together until you have a fine breadcrumb texture.
3. Add and combine the cheese
4. Slowly add in your milk until you have a dough
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten out until roughly an inch thick.
6. With a floured cutter cut out your scones, rerolling your dough until you have 12-16, depending on your cutter size
7. Transfer the rounds to a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Brush with a little milk and scatter over the remaining Cheddar. Pop on a lined baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Or if you really can’t wait until they don’t burn your hands!

Recipe by Becki