These might sound more wintry but this time of the year is filled with just as many cold days as warm ones, and these warming, quick little scones are the kind of thing I make when we run out of bread, or if I want to make a bowl of soup look a bit more like a meal. These are hard to mess up, so if bread is a stretch for you these are a better bet. I use swede, as it’s pretty much my favourite root vegetable through the winter: cheap, British and abundant, and its season lasts a little longer than the other roots – into the early spring. Parsnip, celeriac or sweet potato would happily stand in.
Makes about 16
plain spelt flour 450g, plus a little extra to dust
baking powder 6 tsp
salt 1 tsp
unsalted butter 100g, cold
cheddar 100g
swede 200g, peeled and grated
wild garlic leaves 25g, or chives, finely chopped
wholegrain mustard 1 heaped tbsp
milk 120ml, cold
water 120ml, cold
organic egg 1, beaten with a splash of milk
Preheat the oven to 220C fan/gas mark 9. Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth and well combined.
Grate in the butter, then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Finely grate in all but 25g of the cheese, then add the swede, wild garlic or chives and the mustard and stir to combine. Mix in the milk and water until the dough just comes away from the edge of the bowl; don’t handle it any more than is necessary, as this will make your scones tough.
Tip the dough out on to a very lightly floured surface and flatten into a rectangle about 2.5cm high. Cut out with a fluted cutter (I use a 6cm one for 16 scones), reshaping as necessary while handling the dough as little as possible.
Carefully place the rounds on a lined baking tray and brush the tops with the egg and milk mixture. Grate the remaining cheese over the top and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool slightly on a cooling rack before splitting open.
From The Modern Cook’s Year by Anna Jones (4th Estate, £26)
