Cheese & bacon scones

Cheese & bacon scones

If you want to be annoyingly impressive at brunch, then a home baked savoury ‘biscuit’ is traditional. The American type is too much like a rock cake for me, so my version is lighter and more like a cheesy, bacon-y scone.

Make the batter in the morning, put them in the oven when the first guest arrives, and 20 minutes later serve them warm with lots of butter.

after baking MAKES 12 PREP 20 mins COOK 25 mins

100g butter, plus extra for greasing 10 rashers streaky bacon 275g self-raising flour

1/ 2 tsp baking powder 150ml milk 50ml vegetable oil 1 egg handful snipped chives 150g grated cheddar

1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a 12-hole muffin tin. In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the bacon for 5 mins until golden. Let it cool, then chop into chunks and set aside. 2 In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp sea salt. Using your fingers, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. 3 In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg. Tip into the dry mixture, and gently mix until the flour mixture is mostly moistened (lumps will remain). Stir in the bacon, chives and cheese, then spoon the batter into the muffin tin. 4 Put the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 20 mins or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm. PER SCONE 292 kcals • fat 20g • saturates 9g • carbs 18g • sugars 1g • fibre 1g • protein 9g • salt 1.6g • Next month, Emma discovers why cooking classes in Manhattan are so popular, and shares her recipe for uber-American cheese-stuffed, bacon-covered, smoky BBQ meatballs.