Before I talk about them however I wanted to tell you about something else. Perhaps you may have noticed the new background beneath my photos here on the blog today.

It is courtesy of the Paper Bag Co.  They were so impressed with my IG photos and the photos here on the blog they wanted to send me one of their Instagram Photo Bags. I don't know what was so impressive about my photos, but I am always open to discovering new ways of improving them.

   This is what they call their Instagram Bag, the Foodie Bag.  It has been created through a collaberation between phone photographer Matt Inwood and Stylist Sophie Purser. 

It is designed especially for those who enjoyand have a passion for taking photographs of food specifically for posting them online, ideally on Instagram.

It is acually quite a large bag.  The perfect size for holding your photograph taking equipment, making it easier to take along with you. 

Included in the bag is a 15-inch photographic reflector and diffuser.  This is the tool which all professional photographers have at the top of their kit bag. 

It is designed to help you to brighten and enhance both highlights and shadows, and either subtly or dramatically alter the lighting and colour in all of the images you create.

 Included are a set of four beautifully crafted papers from Black Velvet Styling, the photographic backdrop company set up by stylist Sophie a couple of years ago.  These have been designed to provide affordable backdrops for amateurs and professionals to create mouthwatering images of their food and still life creations. 

They are perfect for transforming a plate of food into a gorgeous image fit for sharing on Instagram and we’ve given you a variety of starter colours and textures to experiment with. I have used one of them here today as a backdrop for my scones.

Now back to Mary Berry's Cheese Scones.  These are THE perfect cheese scone.  I have made cheese scones before in the past and they were good, but these are excellent.

Then again, what would you expect from Mary Berry!  She is an expert in all things baked and otherwise when it comes to cooking.  I trust her judgement explicitly!

 

 I will tell you upfront that I ended up using a bit too much milk in my scones. I misinterpreted how much 1/4 pint actually was in ounces. In otherwords, I got mixed up. 

My dough was a bit wetter than it should have been. But I persevered and all credit to Mary, despite my dough being somewhat on the wet side, they still turned out beautifully.

 I have made sure that won't happen to you. My measurements in the recipe are exactly what they should be.  No worries on that score. 

These scones have a mix of beautiful flavours. Dry mustard powder and cayenne powder are both included in the mix.

 These are both ingredients that go very well with cheese. I always use them in the sauce for my favourite macaroni and cheese recipe. 

It does use self-raising flour. I understand that self-raising flour is no something some of you can get ahold of easily, but don't worry. I have included instructions in the notes on how you can make your own.

 Included as well is plenty of grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese. Do use the best cheese that your money can buy.

The better the cheese, the tastier the scone. I used a vintage cheddar from  Wyke Farms. One thing I will miss from over here is the cheese.

British cheeses are beautiful and there is such a lovely variety of them. I became a true cheese lover only since  moving here to the UK.  

Prior to this I only ate processed cheese for the most part. Nobody had ever truly been able to tempt me into trying anything stronger.

 Then of course when I worked at the manor I used to cook for a lot of dinner parties. Silver service, multiple courses.

The dinner parties always ended with a cheese course. I need to be able to put together a delicious cheese tray for my employers and their guests. The only way I could do that is if I learn about, to taste and to enjoy the cheese.

 

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Mary Berry's Cheese Scones

Yield: 8 regular scones

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 25 Min

Delicious cold or warm. These are fabulous cut in half and spread wih lashings of butter and a bit of chili jam!

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 1 tsp (225g) self-rising flour (See note)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 TBS cold butter
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) grated mature cheddar cheese
• 1 large free-range egg
• milk to the equivalent of 5 fluid ounces (1/4 pint)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and baking powder. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in 2/3 of the cheese.
3. Break the egg into a measuring jug and add milk to give you the equivalent of 5 fluid ounces (1/4 pint). Stir this into the dry mixture and mix to a soft but not sticky dough.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly for a few turns. Pat out into a 6 inch round.
4. Stamp out into rounds using a sharp round (2 1/2 inch) cutter and place onto the baking sheet.  Brush the tops with a bit more milk and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until well risen and golden.  Slip onto a wire rack to cool.  Best eaten on the day.

notes:

To Make Self Raising Flour: Just add 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour, plus 1/4 tsp salt. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together).

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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You really cannot fault any of Mary Berry's recipes. If you follow them scrupulously, they always turn out and are fail proof!  I have never had a failure with any of them!