What can be better than some lovely scones on a late afternoon . . . all short and buttery . . .
flakey and tender . . .



There are sweet scones, just perfect with jam or marmalade, and a nic ehot cuppa . . . and then there are savoury ones, just right for serving on their own, or with breakfast or lunch or supper on the side.



I like them both equally. Both are lovely . . . but how can you improve on perfection??? How indeed!!



By stogging some savoury scones full of cheese and then baking them, that's how!



Lovely savoury scones, with a bit of crunch from the polenta, but short and flakey and filled with Double Gloucester Cheese . . . oozing out when you bit into them . . . perfect with soups, or stews . . .



Chili Con Carne . . . salads, or even on their own. This is my best idea yet, I think! Very moreish!



*Cheese Filled Cornmeal Scones*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Short and scrummy and stogged full of lovely oozing Double Gloucester Cheese!

7 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
2.5 ounces coarse polenta (1/2 cup cornmeal)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
3 ounces cold white vegetable shortening (Trex or Crisco)
125ml of whole milk
125ml of sour cream
4 ounces Double Gloucester Cheese, cut into 12 cubes (Can use Colby or Monterey Jack Cheese)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Dust a baking sheet lightly with flour. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder. Whisk in the salt and cornmeal. Drop in the fat and rub it in lightly with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Cayenne pepper and the onions. Beat together the sour cream and milk. Stir into the flour mixture with a fork, using only as much as you need to form a soft dough. (You may or may not need it all.) Do not overmix.

Dump onto the baking sheet and knead lightly about 10 times. Pat our into a 12 by 8 inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter for ease, or a sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 12 (4 by 2 inch) smaller rectangles. Place a cube of cheese about 3/4 of an inch from one short edge. Moisten the edges all around with water and then fold the dough over the cheese to form a 2 inch square. Firmly pinch the edges all the way around to enclose. Spread out on the baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until well risen and lightly browned. Serve warm. Store any leftovers, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.

Note - You can reheat any leftover scones by wrapping in foil and heating in a 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through.

I love bread for breakfast . . . muffins, tea breads, pancakes, waffles and tasty little gems like this recipe here today.

Delicious Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns.



A drop type of scone, all short and buttery . . . each crumbly buttery mound filled with delicious cherry preserves and topped with some crunchy granola. Baked until golden brown and then glazed with a delicious vanilla icing drizzle.




Oh so good! Sweet and savoury at the same time, with some crunch and meltingly buttery goodness.



What's not to like??



Oh, and did I remember to tell you that they are quick as a wink to make, easy and you can have them on the table in about 20 minutes???



Well . . . You can! Go on . . . what you waiting for??? Your family will thank you for them!



*Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Buttery drop scones, filled with cherry preserves and granola crumbles, and then glazed with a delicious vanilla drizzle. Yummo!

8.5 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, melted
250ml of cold buttermilk (1 cup)
cherry fruit preserves
1 crisp granola bar crumbled (I used Nature's Valley honey and oat)
to glaze:
2 heaped dessertspoons of icing sugar
milk
vanilla



Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Stir together the melted butter and cold buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture. You should have a somewhat sticky dough of dropping consistency. Drop this mixture by heaped tablespoonful's onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space inbetween for spreading. You should get 12 mounds.

Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a shallow hollow in the centre of each. Drop a scant teaspoon of cherry preserves into each hollow. Sprinkle some of the crumbled granola bar over each.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned on the bottoms and golden on the tops. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.

Whisk together the icing sugar along with a few drops of milk and vanilla, to make a drizzable consistency glaze. Drizzle over top of the breakfast buns. Serve while still warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving. (Not too long as you don't want the jam to get too hot, about 15 to 20 seconds should do the trick.)

It was a little cool today and so Todd wanted me to make him some soup for lunch. I didn't do anything special, just opened a couple of tins of Bean and Bacon Soup. He loves that kind.



I did want to make something special to go along with it though, just to lift lunch up out of the ordinary. I love making savoury muffins and breads to go along with soup. They help to make even a simple meal of tinned soup extra-ordinary!



I love foccaccia and I found a recipe for some little mini foccaccia in one of my cookerybooks. It used refrigerated biscuits though . . . and I didn't want to use them. Those types of things are not readily available over here, and I think homemade always tastes better.



I decided to make a scone type of dough, because it would be quick and then apply the topping to that.



I used the plain scone dough recipe from the Bero baking book, and then cut the dough into 2 inch rounds. I then flattened the rounds out to about 3 1/2 inch rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Then I dimpled the top with my fingers and applied a beautiful herby olive oil mixture and some pine nuts.



Wow! These were fantastic! They were nice and crisp around the edges and so flavourful! We just loved them!



I can see great possibilities for this. Perhaps next time I will try a sun-dried tomato pesto on top! That sounds really good, don't you think???



Quick, easy and very, VERY tasty! I do hope you will give them a try!!



*Mini Scone Foccaccia Breads*
Makes 10 (3-inch) foccaccia breads
Printable Recipe

Lovely little flattish scones that are wonderfully herby, buttery and fantastic with soups and stews!

225g self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
pinch salt
3 1/2 TBS of butter 
enough milk to make a soft dough

For the topping:
a large handful of basil leaves (about a loose cup)
a small handful of fresh thyme (about 1/4 loose cup)
2 fat cloves, of garlic, peeled and mashed
60 ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 TBS of pinenuts

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a large baking sheet. Set aside.

To make the herby oil, place the basil, thyme, garlic and olive oil into a blender. Blitz until fairly smooth. You do not want big chunks of anything. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Measure the flour into a bowl. Add the salt. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until you have fine crumbs. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough with a fork. Pat out on a lightly floured surface to about half in thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds with a sharp cutter. Press the rounds out to about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place onto the baking sheet leaving some space inbetween each. Dimple over the tops with your fingertips. Brush each with some of the herbed oil. Sprinkle with pinenuts and then bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottoms and crisp around the edges. Serve warm.

There is nothing more beautiful, both to look at and to smell than gorgeous English Lavender. Down in Norfolk they have fields and fields of the stuff.



When we lived in the cottage down in Kent, the whole back of the house was flanked with beautiful lavender and during the lavender season, you could scarce move without being assaulted by it's beautiful smell. I have spent many an afternoon sitting out on the patio watching the bumblebees bumble from bloom to bloom. Such a pretty sight.



We have lavender here at our house in Chester as well, albeit not as much and it is just ready to burst into bloom, several weeks ahead of it's usual season . . . but that is result of the unusually warm April we had I think . . . Each year when it grows I am careful to harvest some of it to be used in our dresser drawers to help to keep our clothing fresh, and to lay amongst our sheets, pillow slips and towels in the linen closet as well. It smells just beautiful. More gets saved and put into bowls here and there in the house to keep the air fresh and yet more gets stuffed into jars of sugar to be used in delicious baked goods such as these lovely scones.



You might think that with a smell such as strong as lavender can be, that it would overwhelm the flavours of things that are baked with it . . . but you would be completely wrong.

The lavender sugar in these scones gives them a subtle fruit flavour and scent, and goes so very wonderfully with fresh lemon curd or preserves.

Make it a wonderfully different teatime treat by baking these lovely scones. Keep them guessing as to what your secret ingredient is. Buttery, subtly scented, with a lovely little crunch.



You can use storebought lemon curd of course . . . but making your own is really quite easy. I have a recipe here. It's wonderful! I think you'll find it will come in handy for all sorts.




*English Lavender Buttermilk Scones*
Makes about a dozen
Printable Recipe

These delightfully buttermilk scones are infused with lavender sugar and go very well with my homemade lemon curd, or preserves for a special Spring tea.

225g of self raising flour (scant 2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
50g of unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
75g of lavender sugar (see below) (scant 1/2 cup)
150ml of buttermilk (5 fluid ounces)
salt
To serve:
your choice of lemon curd or preserves

Preheat the oven to 220*C/ 425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet. Set aside.

Stir the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Drop in the butter bits and rub them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the buttermilk, and stir in with a fork, only adding enough to create a soft dough. Tip out onto a floured board and knead a few times before patting out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter. Place onto the baking sheet leaving plenty of space in between for spreading. Brush with some more buttermilk.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving with your favourite spread.

To make your own lavender sugar:
Press two of three clean sprigs of fresh lavender, or a couple of TBS of lavender buds which you can buy in the spice section, into a jar of caster sugar and leave for at least 24 hours before using. Use pesticide free blooms, and wash and dry them before using.

As you know on Sundays by the time we get home from church we are starving. I just don't have the energy to make a Sunday lunch so we usually have something quick . . . unless I've had enough forethought to bang something into the slow cooker in the morning . . . and today was not one of those days . . . today was a spaghetti on toast day.



Tis not a problem though, coz Todd knows that later on in the afternoon, when I get my energy back I'll be baking him something scrummy for a late supper. Sometimes it's just bread and jam, but most time it's a real treat for him to enjoy.




The other day when I was re-organizing my kitchen cupboards I discovered that I had no less than 4 packets of dried dates. It's a good thing we love dates! No surprise then, that today I baked something to use up some of those dates . . .



Oh sure I could have made some Sticky Toffee Cake or an equally as scrummy pan of Date and Lemon Scones . . . orrrrrrr even a yummy Date and Nut Loaf. I did none of those things . . . .



Instead I made these deliciously scrummy Date, Pistachio & Honey Slices! I just adore pistachio nuts! I really, really do! Imagine a finger of buttery pastry, just stogged full of a yummy Date & Pistachio filling, and glazed with honey . . . yummo scrummo!!



They may not photograph well, but boy oh boy . . . they sure more than make up for that in taste. If you like Dates, Pistachios and Honey . . . if you like sweet butter pastry . . . then these little babies are for YOU!

Seriously . . . make them NOW!



*Date, Pistachio & Honey Slices*
Makes 12 slices
Printable Recipe

Lovely buttery fingers filled with scrummy dates, honey and crunchy pistachio nuts. Oh-so-moreishly delish!

For the filling:
250g of stone dates (a generous 1/2 pound), chopped
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS water
3 ounces pistachio nuts, chopped (a generous half cup)
1 TBS clear honey

For the pastry:
8 ounces plain flour (a scant 2 cups)
1 ounce caster sugar (about 2 TBS)
5 1/2 ounces butter (1/2 cup plus 3 TBS)
4 to 5 TBS cold water

To finish:
milk to glaze
1 TBS clear honey

Place the dates, lemon juice, and water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped nuts and honey. Set aside to cool.

Place the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Mix in just enough water to give you a soft dough. You don't want it to be sticky. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured board to a 12 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Place on a baking sheet. Spread the date/nut mixture on top of this to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Roll out the remaining half of the pastry to fit and place on top. Press to seal the edges all the way around. Trim the edges square and then brush with some milk to glaze. Mark into 12 slices.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the slice for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Brush the warm slice with the remaining honey and then remove to cool on a wire rack. Cut into 12 individual slices along the marks you made previously. Store in an airtight container and serve as a nice treat with your cuppa or pack into lunch boxes. Always scrummily welcome!

We're usually starving by the time we get home from church on Sundays. We just don't do Sunday lunch in this house. By the time we get home from church, there's not really enough time on Sunday do one justice. We usually have Sunday Lunch on Saturday Night, then on Sunday we usually just have either leftovers, or something that I can quickly throw together, like beans on toast or scrambled eggs and toast, or something like that.



Once we are fed, I usually call my mom while Todd does the dishes. (I know I am a really lucky woman!) After that we settle in to watch some quiet telly together and then late in the afternoon or early evening, I will bake us a teatime treat.



It's usually something scrummy like rock cakes, or scones . . . something that we can enjoy eaten out of hand with a cold glass of milk or mug of Horlicks.

Today it was these wonderfully scrummy Strawberry Jam Swirls.



Beautifully puffed and buttery pastry . . . quite similar to a scone dough, and stogged full of gooey Strawberry Jam.

All swirled and then glazed with an egg wash and granulated sugar . . . oh my but these are soooo good.



You don't have to use Strawberry Preserves though . . . you can use whatever preserves strike your fancy . . . plum, raspberry, blueberry, apricot . . . even orange marmalade! If you are a marmalade lover like me, that is superdy duperdy scrummilicious!!!



You can even get really fancy and sprinkle the jam with some chopped toasted walnuts or pecans before you roll them up. Seriously delicious.



Seriously . . . trust me on this.



*Strawberry Jam Swirls*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A buttery pastry swirled with strawberry jam, rolled, sliced and then baked until the pastry is all puffed and the jam all gooey scrumdiddlyumptious! You can use any flavour of jam you wish, or even marmalade. We love them with strawberry jam though!

3 ounces of butter, diced (6 TBS)
16 ounces of plain flour (4 1/2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 ounces of caster sugar (a scant 1/2 cup)
2 medium free range eggs
300ml of milk (1 1/4 cups)
2 generous dessertspoons of strawberry preserves
1 small free range egg, beaten for glazing
2 TBS granulated sugar for sprinkling



Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a baking sheet really well. Set aside.

Measure the flour into a large bowl. Whisk in the baking powder, salt and caster sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour in about 2/3 of the egg/milk mixture. Mix it in with a fork, until you get a soft dough, adding more milk/egg if necessary. You will havea fairly sticky dough and may not need more.

Lightly flour your work surface. Dump the dough onto it and dust with flour. Roll or pat out into a rectangle about 12 inches in length, 7 inches wide and 1/2 inch tall. Spread with the strawberry preserves covering completely. With the long side facing you, roll into a roll, rolling the pastry away from you. Cut into 12 slices and place each slice onto the buttered baking sheet, leaving some space in between.

Brush with some beaten egg and then sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Lovely eaten warm with a nice cold glass of milk!

I'm sure you all remember the Baked and Delicious post I did last month. If not, you can refresh your memories here. I was so impressed with the issue that I got to try out for free that I signed up to receive the remainder of them.



Issues two and three arrived in my post box today and I have to say that I am very impressed. So impressed that after drooling my way through all of the pages poste haste . . . I immediately went into the kitchen and started baking!



What a lovely assortment of recipes and hints. Anglesey Cakes, Tart Tatin, Lemon Drizzle Cake, Sacher Torte, Pizza, Scones, Millefeuille are just a few of the recipes . . . which also included this fantastic Olive, Herb and Parmesan Loaf.



I had all the ingredients in my larder and I could not wait to get started on it. The picture in the magazine looked fabulous! It was so easy to put together and I have to say . . . it smelled gorgeous when it was baking. Wowser, wowser! I could hardly wait to get it out of the oven.



Imagine a savoury quick bread just stogged full of stuffed olives, roasted peppers, herbs and cheese. Each bite was oh so delicious! Kinda like Pizza, except better! I think I may try it with some chopped chorizo or pepperoni in it, or maybe even ham. Oh oh . . . my tastebuds are tingling again! Watch out!



*Savoury Olive, Herb and Parmesan Loaf*
Makes one 2 pound loaf
Printable Recipe

Just the smell of this baking is enough to start your taste buds tingling. A beautiful crusty quick bread, stogged full of stuffed olives, roasted peppers, cheese and herbs. DEEEElicious!!

3 ounces stuffed olives, sliced (3/4 cup)
(You can use a mixture of black and green, or those dried garlic olives, or lemon stuffed, etc.
let your taste buds guide you on this)
3 ounces roasted peppers (about 3/4 cup, drained and sliced)
(you could also use an equal amount of sundried tomatoes, packed
in oil, drained well and slivered)
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 TBS minced fresh chives
4 ounces grated Parmesan Cheese (1 cup)
12 ounces of plain flour (2 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp fine ground black pepper (yes, this is correct)
1 tsp dry mustard powder
2 large free range eggs, beaten
300ml of buttermilk (1 1/4 cups)
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

for the egg wash:
1 medium free range egg, beaten with a drop of water
to decorate:
slivers of roasted peppers
or sun dried tomatoes, sprigs of fresh thyme
Flakes of sea salt



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 pound loaf tin and line lengthwise with some parchment paper that overhangs the ends so as to ease lifting it out when done.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, sea salt, dry mustard powder, black pepper, herbs and cheese together in a bowl. Stir in the sliced olives and peppers. Beat together the buttermilk, eggs and olive oil. Add all at once to the dry mixture and then mix together just to combine without overmixing. There should be no dry areas, but it is ok if it seems a bit lumpy. That is actually a good thing. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and then smooth the top over. Brush with the egg wash and then sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh thyme, some flakes of sea salt and some slivered roasted pepper.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before lifting out and onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Note: This goes wonderfully with soups and salads. Should it not all get eaten on the day, try the leftovers toasted and spread with butter. Oh so scrummy!! (It is doubtful that you will have any left over but should you, you can keep it for several days wrapped tightly in foil.) I do not recommend freezing.