Recipe: Rosemary Cheese Scones from The Shed

I love that The Shed (UK/US) – the cookboox by the brothers behind the rustic Notting Hill restaurant of the same name – is split up by seasons. Of course, perhaps jumping the gun ever so slightly, I turned right to Spring. Second on the menu? These gloriously fluffy Rosemary Cheese Scones.

Once I tested them to ensure they tasted as good as they looked (they do – and so pretty!), I thought I better share the recipe, so here we go.

Ingredients:

225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
55g unsalted butter, chilled
150g cheddar cheese, grated
150ml whole milk, plus extra for bushing
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped

Start by preheating the oven to 190C / 375F. Find a baking tray and line it with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.

Add your butter, cut into tiny chunks for easier mixing. Using your fingers, rub it in until it has the texture of breadcrumbs.

Stir in the grated cheddar.

Make a well in the middle with a wide knife or the back of a spoon and pour in the milk.

Using a knife, chop at the mixture and eventually it will turn into a ball. Remember it’s important not to overwork the dough when you’re making pastry.

Place the ball on a surface. Knead lightly. Roll out to a thickness of about 3cm.

Use a pastry cutter (or cookie cutter) that’s about 6cm wide and cut out as many circles as fit. The recipe says it makes about 13, but it made about 21 for me (perhaps my pasty cutter was smaller?).

Place them on the lined baking tray, leaving a small bit of space between them as they will expand slightly.

Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle some rosemary on top of each one.

Bake them for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are golden.

Serve them warm, straight out of the oven! They’re excellent with chicken soup or a bowl of salad (or just eaten – warm or cold, with butter or without – on their own).