The savoury equivalent to our blueberry scones, these delicious bacon scones are irresistible when just out of the oven.
I like to add a little Isle of Mull Cheddar on top of the scones to go along with the crispy bacon and chives. If you can’t find Isle of Mull Cheddar, any mature Cheddar or strong cheese will do.
Ingredients
- 5 rashers streaky bacon
- 400g self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 150g butter, cut into cubes
- 2 eggs
- 150g Isle of Mull Cheddar, grated
- 175ml milk
- 1 tbsp English mustard
To garnish:
- 50g Isle of Mull Cheddar, finely grated
- A small bunch of chives, finely chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 230°C/210°C fan
- Put the bacon rashers on a lined baking tray and put into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until dark and crispy. Set aside to cool, leaving the oven on, and then chop four of the rashers into little pieces
- Put the flour into a mixing bowl with the baking powder and sea salt, then add the butter cubes. Rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb consistency, making sure there are no large chunks of butter left
- In another bowl beat one of the eggs, then add it to the flour mixture along with 100g of the grated Cheddar, the chopped bacon, milk and English mustard. Loosely mix together with a spoon
- Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, then shape it into a rough circle with your hands, folding it over a few times so it begins to hold together. Remember: you are not looking for a smooth, kneaded dough here — the less interference, the better! Pat the dough down until it’s around 4cm high and pretty even
- With an 8cm cookie cutter, cut out six scones and place them onto your lined baking tray
- In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and brush it over the top of each scone. Scatter over the remaining 50g of grated cheese, then bake the scones for 20 minutes
- Set the scones aside to cool for 10 minutes. Finely chop the remaining crispy bacon rasher and, while the scones are cooling, pile some finely grated Cheddar, bacon and chopped chives over the tops
'Café Cùil Cook Book; is out November 4 (Kitchen Press, £25). Visit the Kitchen Press website to pre-order.
-
Madonna, David Bowie, Elizabeth II and me — this is what it’s like to have your photograph taken by RankinThe world-renowned photographer has worked with everyone from acting royalty, to actual royalty. His next subject? Country Life’s wandering scribe, Lotte Brundle.
-
How one family went about creating a welcoming kitchen in one of England's neo-Palladian houses‘We were nervous about creating a kitchen in such a grand room.'
-
'Someone once proffered a tray and said to me: "Would you like an eat?" I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that person again': A snob's guide to canapésTeeny, tiny food can throw up some big problems, says our modern etiquette columnist.
-
Made with porpoise blood, eaten with beaver tail: The not-so-normal history of the black puddingAncient, but still popular, both very global and very local, much loved and at one point fiercely disdained. Bound up within the beloved black pudding there’s so much culture, so much history, and so many stories.
-
'My sister Catherine shares a love of bees and has a few hives herself': James Middleton, Jamie Oliver and Sir David Beckham on the pleasures of harvesting your own honeyBeekeeping is a star-studded hobby and has much to offer, finds Jane Wheatley.
-
The rapid decline of our local abattoirs means we can no longer claim to be a country with leading animal welfare standardsOnce the backbone of ethical, small-scale meat production, these essential processors are disappearing fast.
-
David Beckham and Tom Parker Bowles whip up one of the guest editor's favourite childhood mealsFrom Sunday roasts to Spanish delicacies, good food is one of the pillars of Sir David Beckham’s life, as Tom Parker Bowles discovers when the pair cook up a comfort-food storm at Claridge’s.
-
'If your boyfriend makes carbonara with pancetta or bacon, break up': Tom Parker Bowles on how to make a classic carbonaraGetting to grips with a Roman classic.
-
What is everyone talking about this week? Forget British wine, British olive oil is the next pot of goldWeek in, week out, Will Hosie rounds up the hottest topics on everyone's lips, in London and beyond.
-
Raising the steaks: Which native animal produces the best beef?We tasked eight gourmands — including food writer Tom Parker Bowles and chef Jackson Boxer — to find out which native British cow produces the best côte de boeuf.
