Scones

A good scone should be light, fluffy and well-risen. With this recipe, your scones will never turn out like biscuits again!

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (392°F) for a fan oven, 220°C (428°F) conventional, gas 7. In a large bowl, stir the salt and baking powder into the flour*, then break up the butter into small pieces and rub it in until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk. Stir in the sugar, and then most of the milk, reserving a bit for glazing. Tip the mixture out onto a floured suface, and flatten it with your hand until it's about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick. You can use a circular or square cutter to cut out your scones. Pop them onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or greaseproof paper, glaze the tops (not the sides) and bake for fifteen minutes.

While still hot, slice your scone in half and spread generously with butter and strawberry jam. In Devon and Cornwall, they like to use clotted cream and jam. If you don't eat all your scones immediately, let them cool and store them in an airtight container.

*If you can't get self-raising flour, you can use plain (all-purpose) flour and add 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and half a teaspoon cream of tartar, or 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and use buttermilk instead of the milk. Buttermilk works because it is acidic, and reacts with the bicarb to form bubbles of carbon dioxide that make the dough rise.