I have so many delicious wild and cultivated herbs growing in the garden at the moment. I harvested a delicious selection of Few-Flowered Leek (Allium paradoxum), Jack in the Hedge (otherwise known as Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata), Lovage (Levisticum officinale) and Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea). Respectively they represent the Onion, Mustard, Carrot and Mint families. I wanted to create something herby with all of them, and hence the idea for these wild and herby cheddar scones was born!
SAFETY NOTE: Ground Ivy is a delicious herb, but must not be eaten by anyone who is or could be pregnant.
If you'd like to follow this recipe but don't have access to the herbs listed, then why not try with more readily available herbs that you can find either growing locally, or for sale in your local shop? I imagine that all kinds of herbs would work well here, including chives, parsley, celery leaf (indeed, Lovage is like a cross beteen parsley and celery on steroids!), thyme, oregano and so on!
This really is a simple recipe, and warm from the oven and dripping in butter, they are just delicious served up with your favourite soup. I served these up with a Nettle, Ground Elder and Dandelion Greens soup - recipe for that one coming soon!
WILD AND HERBY CHEDDAR SCONES
Makes 10-12 scones
INGREDIENTS:
Small handful each of Few-Flowered Leek, Ground Ivy, Jack in the Hedge and Lovage (or herbs of your choice - washed, dried with paper towel (or salad spinner) and finely chopped
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
55g salted butter (chilled and cubed)
120g mature cheddar (I used a really crumbly sharp cheddar - yum!)
100ml milk (and a little extra for brushing on the top)
METHOD:
1 Heat the oven to 200C or 180C fan. Lightly grease or spray a baking sheet
2 Combine flour, baking powder, chopped herbs and salt, then rub in the butter to form a crumbly mixture
3 Stir in 100g of the grated cheddar, then mix in the milk to form a pliable dough
4 Turn out onto your surface, knead lightly then roll out to a 2cm thickness
5 Using a cutter, cut out the scones and place on the baking sheet. Keep rerolling and cutting out til the dough is all gone
6 Brush the tops of the scones with some milk, and add a sprinkle of the remaining grated cheese to each one
7 Bake for 15-20 minutes til golden, cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!
Comments