Quick cheese scones

 It is one of those wet afternoons when I am whittling my way through my book stash. Reading in the bright conservatory is my favourite time, listening to the rain on the roof. 

The rain brought on memories of my childhood when my  mother would bake scones for us to come home to on wet days on the Highveld in South Africa. 

This is my quick recipe that is quick to make 

250g (1 cup) self raising flour

1 rounded tsp baking powder

40 g butter 

1 large egg & milk made up to 100ml

grated cheese & mustard powder

Preheat the oven to 200C (fan) while you are busy making up the scones

Rub the butter & self raising powder together till it looks like breadcrumbs. Add in the baking powder, mustard powder, & most of the egg & milk mixture, keeping back just a little for brushing the tops with. Lightly mix in some grated cheese if you like (about 80g, I didn't weigh mine)

Turn out on to a lightly floured surface (I used a silicone tray what worked really well), pat down to a thick shape & cut in to about 6 - 8 scones. (I used a medium cutter & got 7 scones. 

Brush the tops with the leftover egg & milk then bake in the centre of the oven for about 10-12 minutes. I use a silicone mat from Ikea that makes baking so easy as nothing sticks. 

Turn out, make some coffee & enjoy with butter & more cheese.

I hope  you make some too ... 

Dee 🧈🪺🥞☕️

A special afternoon tea

Tea is something that I have always loved - my parents had wonderful teas from Tanganyika & the highlands of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).  They served loose leaf tea in a ceramic pot that had a lined silver cosy type purpose. The rule was a tea spoon of tea each & one for the pot. 

Some might remember me sharing a lovely afternoon tea on a canal boat I had last year for my friends birthday on a canal boat. It was great fun watching life drift by. 

We were recently invited to a local hotel for an afternoon tea. It is a popular rural setting, close to a Roman settlement & church 

The hotels large conservatory was set with tables for the 50 guests & I was delighted to see beautiful China.  It was not long before the beautiful food came out. 

The order of the tea is always 

-  Selection of sandwiches (we had 3 different fillings)

- scones with jam & clotted cream. 

They were the best scones I had eaten in a long time, light, flavoursome & so good 

- selection of little cakes

The cakes & little puddings were as good as they looked &  I struggled to do it justice. I do love a pretty tea cup & was glad to have the white & gold cup, I have a similar one at home with a D monogram on it. 

All beautifully presented & served with generous pots of tea or coffee. 

It was an absolutely delightful afternoon in interesting company. The hotel is a popular rural wedding venue & it was a welcome treat. 

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of a quintessential ritual. Everything really was as delicious as it all looked. 

What is your choice of cakes for tea?  Something rich & indulgent or just a favourite Victoria Sponge?  I sometimes make scones at home, a choice of cheese or plain ones is a real treat, best eaten hot out of the oven. 

Do stop by again, thank you, 

Dee  🍰🥮🥪🫖☕️

Scones for early visitors ...

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break in the northern hemisphere. My end of year is always  a hectic time with students then suddenly our year ends & we can relax for 6 blissful weeks. 

Some friends were stopping by this morning & so I decided to make up a batch of scones for a treat with our tea & coffee. They had set off some hours previously so I knew they would need a treat. 

I recently baked scones with one of my students & so this was the recipe I used today.

Scones need a light touch, I did not use the mixer as they are so quick to make & I don't like to overwork the flour ... 

Mary Berry's Devonshire Scones 

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation time: about 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Makes about 20 scones

• 450g (1 lb) self-raising flour
• 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
• 75g (3 oz) butter, at room temperature
• 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• about 225 ml (8 fl oz) milk

1. Lightly grease two baking trays. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.
   
2. Measure the flour and baking powder into a processor. Add the butter and process until a crumble, then add the sugar. Or make by hand by rubbing  the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
   
3. Beat the eggs together until blended and make up to a generous 300ml (1/2 pint) with the milk, then put about 2 tablespoons of the egg/milk aside in a cup for glazing the scones later. Gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients until you have a soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.
   
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch). Use a 5 cm (2 inch) fluted cutter to stamp out the dough by pushing the cutter straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting the cutter) then lift it straight out. This ensures that the scones will rise evenly and keep their shape. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead very lightly then re-roll and cut more scones out as before.
   
5. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking trays and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg/milk mixture to glaze. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the scones are well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist. Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with strawberry jam and top with a good spoonful of thick cream.

Scones need a light touch, I only put in 15ml of caster sugar then I halved the mixture to keep half plain. I added a generous handful of grated cheddar cheese, about 5ml of dry mustard powder & mixed that into the second half. 

I cut them out - plain with a round cutter, cheese ones with a serrated cutter then when they came out, I could not tell the difference but put them on two separate plates - that plan did not work as well as I hoped! 

However, they were perfect with mugs of tea & filtered coffee (sometimes, especially in the early morning, only mugs of hot drinks will do .... )

They were served with butter, a choice of Peach Melba or Hedgerow jam from our local farm shop, grated cheese & extra thick cream. 

My friend Caroline arrived with a plate of freshly made banana bread which was divine ....

A perfectly relaxed early morning catch up with friends & their lovely dog Bailey who loved playing in the garden ...

I had forgotten how quick & easy it is to make scones - they will definitely be made again for visitors ...

Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read & comment,
Dee ~♥~

Tea & scones

A cold morning at home called for something warm & comforting for a daughter who was a bit under the weather & what nicer than hot home made scones.

The choice - round or serrated cutters? I keep my cutters in a vintage mixing bowl.

I prefer round cutters & a medium size. I made some plain scones then added mature cheddar cheese to the other half of the batch.

Scones, in my humble opinion, are best eaten piping hot out of the oven

The little tea knives are a vintage set that was given to my husbands grandparents for their marriage in the 1920's. They are still in their padded box & we enjoy using them ♥

 Candles warm up the table while there is still snow on the ground outside

I would have loved some cream but that would have meant a trip to the shop & additional calories. We just had a choice of 2 jams & some grated cheese on our scones but what do you like on yours? Round or serrated cutter, hot or cold, cream or no cream? Tell all ....

Thanks for stopping by & leaving your link so I can return the visit.
Dee ~♥~