Late last night, I had a real craving for a home-made cheese scone.
Today, I did something I have never done before. I baked.
Not that baking is anything new in itself…
When the boys were young, I baked every day, from bread, biscuits and cakes to savouries. It was not unusual for their friends to knock on the door, not to see if the boys were home, but to ask if I had been baking. There was a steady stream of youngsters through my kitchen and I loved that.
It continued into their teenage years, where a morning spent baking and cooking on my day off from work would stock the tins, lunchboxes, fridge and freezer with homemade food for the week, with enough spare to feed the hordes that were continually showing up around mealtimes and for snacks. I had long since given up using recipe books, except for brand new adventures. I baked so much and so often that the ‘feel’ for ingredients became instinctive.
But the boys left home and the baking stopped, unless I knew they were coming around or I was having guests.
I still cook every day for my eldest son. I even bake for his friends and his workmen. In fact, the latest batch of workmen, about to rip out his kitchen, come from a company who replaced his bathroom last year and, apparently, we… or rather, my honey-nut flapjacks, are fondly remembered…
But, at home, I seldom do more than throw together a salad or stuff something in the slow cooker that will last me a few days. Let’s be honest, most days it is more likely to be a bowl of cereal or beans on toast than a proper meal.
It is a shame, really, because there is a lifetime of memories tied up with cooking and especially with baking, from my first attempts at culinary creativity, making misshapen worms from the pastry trimmings left over when great grandma was making pies, to eventually letting my sons make their own pastry worms, right through to baking and decorating traditionally iced wedding cakes.
But, when they left home, to all intents and purposes, baking stopped in my kitchen.
At first, it was quite cool, not having to do the big baking day every week. Especially as my waistline was inclined to object, even though I seldom ate any of it anyway. Okay, apart from the savoury stuff and the scones.
Once the novelty had worn off though, for a long time I missed baking day. Then I just got used to not baking.
Baking ‘just for me’ held no attraction. Food, apart from the necessities, should be a shared experience, especially if you are going to put time and effort into making something special. Not that most everyday baking takes more than a few minutes to throw together, even including doing the dishes afterwards. Even so, it just didn’t feel right somehow.
But, late last night, I had a real craving for a home-made cheese scone. I hadn’t had one for years until we were given some in a pub a few weeks ago. Nice, but not like mine… and I really fancied one.
I dismissed it… until today when, most unusually, I baked just for me.
Or at least, that was the general idea.
Were there any lingering feelings of guilt attached to baking ‘just’ for me, my dark angel, guardian of my remaining waistline, soon laid them to rest.
Where food is concerned, I am assured, it is never just for me…
If anyone else fancies Cheese Scones…
(Please note, I never weigh or measure anything, so the quatities are approximate. Handle the dough as little as possible, work quickly and keep it cool as you work to get light scones).
Rub 50g cold butter into 200g Self-raising flour with a pinch of salt and a pinch of dry English mustard powder (if you don’t have that, add half a teaspoon of English mustard to the liquid.) Stir in 100g grated mature Cheddar cheese. Mix, using a cold knife, to a soft dough with around 150ml milk. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, shape to a fat, flat round. Brush with a little milk, sprinkle with grated cheese and cut into triangles.
Place on a greased baking sheet in a pre-heated oven, 190C/375F/Gas mark 5, for about ten mnutes or until golden brown.
Serve hot or cold, filled or on their own, with or without butter. They go well with soup instead of rolls too.
They sound delicious, Sue!
It’s good to bake for yourself as well as the rest 🌹
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As it happened, I ate one, Ani is working her way through the rest 😉
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😬
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Heh, heh, heh … of course she did. 😀
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You are quite right with the past tense now 😉
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I’ve no doubt they tasted divine! I’ll ask Ani next time I see her 😉
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Ani seemed to think they were acceptable oferings 😉
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Yummy! I will have a go today.
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Let me know 🙂
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Using bread flour and baking powder yielded a heavy result that was doorstop worthy. Enjoyable to make and tasty, none the less. This week’s left over pizza dough into Chelsea buns was much more successful. 😊
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Oh I haven’t made Chelsea buns for ages…. 😉
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One of my favourites, especially using juicy sultanas and cinnamon.
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Mine too…
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I’ve copied your recipe. I might make some (without mustard)
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You can’t taste the mustard…but it brings out the cheese taste 🙂
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Oh OK!
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🙂
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Love cheese scones with soup. I throw in some chopped walnuts, too.
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Ooh… I like that idea!
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Sounds yummy. Might give these a try
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So quick and easy…
And Ani says Maggie light like the odd corner 😉
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Cheese…………………… what’s not to like!!!! she says
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Birds of a feather 😉
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Of course!
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🙂
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It is hard to imagine Ani not noticing anything with an aroma of cheese.
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She almost inhaled the plateful…. as well as having to ‘test’ the cheese as I was making them 😉
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You two are quite a team.
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We’re well suited 😉
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Indeed
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Yes! So glad you did this, Sue. My Offspring is still home, but I know exactly what you mean about cooking for yourself, esp. ‘special’ things. But we deserve a little pampering every now and then. Not sure about Ani though. 😀 lol
I haven’t made cheese scones with milk but I’m definitely giving this recipe a try. Many thanks. 😀
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They work with water too, for a lighter scone, but I wasn’t about to count calories 😉
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lmao- calories? What’re they? 😀 😀
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Something I ignore these days.; )
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lol – me too!
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🙂 x
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Thank you for the recipe Sue, they sound delicious 💜
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They were…though Ani had most of them 😉
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Lol 🤣
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😀
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💜
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Those look so good!
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They were…and the dog approved too 🙂
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Ooooh, homemade cheese scones are one of my favourite treats! Love the pic of Ani eyeing and trying yours. You’re right, baking in particular tends to be associated with memories. I used to bake regularly – even made my own bread – but the degree has put paid to that for now. I always make the kids birthday cakes though. Maddie has just had a nautically-themed one. Glad you indulged your fancy – hang the calorie-counting… Ani’s got the right idea! 🙂
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I do miss baking for people sometimes. One way or another, in the baking or the eating, it is all about sharing.
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It is, and the personal touch of sharing something home made. 🙂
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That always makes a huge difference.
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🙂 ❤
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I bake a lot for hubby as he likes his sweets and I don’t trust store-bought goods. I cut the sugar down considerably. I do enjoy baking as it gets me away from the computer. And of course, we have to share with Dot, who is also a fan of my baking. Glad Ani got to share with you. xo
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Ani is just a fan of food 😉
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I haven’t had a cheese scone in years, but something tells me I am about to!
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Enjoy. We did 🙂
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This looks so yummy. So bad that I am off carbs. 🥺
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Save it for ‘one day ” 😉
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I hope that I get that one day. Definitely saving it.
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🙂
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Well, at least you had someone to share the food experience with after all. 😉
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I always do, it seems 🙂
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A great recipe, Sue. I also bake for family and friends but not for myself. I have reduced my baking recently as Michael was putting on to much weight.
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Ani was eating these so avidly, I can’t see me making them again for a while either 😉
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They look delish! Looks like Ani got one too, lol 🙂 xx
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She ended up with most of them… 😉 xx
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Wowwwwwww! Lucky girl! 🙂 xx
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She’s going to get fat 😉 xx
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🙂 xx
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Ani must have done something really great in her past life in order to get to live with you in this one. I’m not showing this post to Wren, in case she gets any ideas. 😉
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They ahave us well trained…. but then, we are blessed to have them in our lives for a while. 🙂
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Mrs Widds has that same ‘feel’ for her bread dough, (she bakes a batch once a week) and I do for my cooking. 😀 … nothing like it, I say. 🙂
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Almost symbiosis 😉
My son is always asking me for recipes he can duplicate… I doubt most long-term cooks would be able to put an accurate recipe together…
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Heh, how to quantify a ‘pinch’, or a ‘dash’, or better yet how to adjust according to taste and smell. 😀
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He doesn’t seem to think that ‘you just know’ is a good answer 😉
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Hahahahaha 😀 … poor lad. 😀
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😀
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I used to love my gran’s cheese scones. I threatened to make some once and the faces they pulled! Cheese???? Erk! What’s wrong with raisins? One day when I get an oven I’ll get around to it.
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I love scones of any variety…
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Me too. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth but I love dried fruit and cakey things with butter on them.
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Same here.
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🙂
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Going to try out this recipe, Sue, but I’ll have to do it with Gluten Free flour, will let you know how it goes. xxx
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I’ll be interested to hear how it works, Adele xx
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