If you’ve ever met me, there’s a chance I would have tried to force-feed you a home-made scone. Making scones are in retrospect the most Sundayest of things to do, and my freezer is full of different varieties I’ve tried and tested, but these are one of my favourite kind (I have made these without cheese too, which are equally delicious). The soft buttery interior oozes with garlic and cheese, followed by a slight kick of heat from the chilli and a hint of rosemary – this, served warm with a slather of butter, and a cup of tea – and dear reader, there’s really not much better.

Ingredients

225g Self-Raising Flour (plus extra for dusting)
1tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Salt
50g Butter (cubed)
100g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped, or 2tsp dried chilli flakes)
2tsp Rosemary (finely chopped)
1 Egg
75ml Milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6, and line a large baking tray with baking paper and lightly oil.
2. Mix the flour, baking power and salt in a large bowl, then add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add the cheese, garlic, chilli and rosemary and gently mix.
4. Beat the egg in a measuring jug, and add enough milk to make up to 150ml milk (roughly 75ml, but add more if you need)
5. Slowly add this to the flour mixture, gradually making a soft dough. You should be left with a small amount of egg/milk left over, to be used to brush on the scones before going in the oven.
6. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, knead gently until smooth. Divide the dough into 10 equal sized balls, and arrange on the baking sheet in a line of two, with them just touching.
7. Brush with the leftover milk and egg combo. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, until well risen.
8. Serve warm with butter, and a cup of tea.

If you used this recipe, tag @PetitVeg and show me your scones!