Cheshire Cheese and Sage Scones
Golden, flaky savoury scones packed with crumbly, tangy Cheshire cheese and fragrant fresh sage. Best served warm with a generous slab of salted butter.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 285 kcal
Equipment
- •baking tray
- •greaseproof paper
- •mixing bowl
- •round pastry cutter
- •pastry brush
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- fat
- 13 g
- carbs
- 33 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 285 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your fan oven to 200°C (220°C conventional) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- 2
Sift the self-raising flour, baking powder, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper into a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Add the diced chilled butter to the bowl.
- 4
Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 5
Stir through three-quarters of the Cheshire cheese and all the chopped sage.
- 6
Whisk the milk and beaten egg together in a separate jug.
- 7
Pour most of the liquid into the bowl, reserving two tablespoons for glazing later.
- 8
Stir briefly with a round-bladed knife until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
- 9
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently pat it to 3cm thickness.
- 10
Stamp out rounds using a 6cm fluted cutter without twisting the cutter.
- 11
Place on the lined baking tray, brush the tops with reserved egg mixture, and scatter the remaining cheese over them.
- 12
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until well risen and deep golden brown.
Chef's tips
Handle the dough as lightly as possible to ensure light, tender scones. Never twist the pastry cutter when stamping out rounds, as twisting seals the edges and prevents an even rise. Crumbly Cheshire cheese gives the best savoury tang, but avoid overworking it so pockets of cheese remain intact.
Ingredient substitutions
- Cheshire cheese → mature Lancashire cheese or Caerphilly
- fresh sage → fresh thyme or finely snipped chives
Storage
Store cooled scones in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to two days.
Reheating
Warm in a preheated oven at 160°C for 5 minutes to restore their crisp crust.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overworking the dough, which makes the baked scones dense and tough.
- •Twisting the cutter while pressing down, resulting in an uneven, lopsided rise.
- •Using warm butter, which stops the scones achieving a light, flaky crumb.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cheshire Cheese and Sage Scones?
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