Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies

A recipe from Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies

SCONES
Makes about 12

Fresh scones, still warm from the oven, are part and parcel of the delicious teas of our childhoods. No one seems to make them nowadays; instead, they buy terrible things in supermarkets tasting of soda and studded with soggy fruits. Scones take but a moment, so do try them.

1 2/3 cups self rising flour
small pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk, fresh or buttermilk.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 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 metal spatula. Knead lightly on a floured board, then pat out into a round 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch rounds with a cutter.

Place the rounds on a greased and floured baking sheet and brush with milk. Bake 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:
Fruit scones: Add 1/3 cup dried fruit and 2 tablespoons superfine sugar.
Savory scones: Add 3/4 cup grated hard cheese and 1 teaspoon dry mustard, or 1/3 cup minced olives, anchovies, or what you fancy.