AS SOMEONE obsessed with scones it was only a matter of time for me to publish another scone recipe.

Scones practically beg you to commit the most cardinal of all table sins and play with your food. They’re very British, honest, no-frills things, aren’t they?

There are no fancy decorations to hide any flaws when they come out of the oven: they all ought to look pretty much uniform and not a collection of moon rocks.

For me, scones are about taste and not looks, and this week’s recipe for a cheese and chive scone loaf is rustic, savoury with lots of attitude. It will appeal as a light snack, or accompanied alongside a bowl of steaming soup.

Scones are often referred to as quick breads that are often rolled into round shapes and cut into quarters or more commonly stamped out with a pastry cutter.

Scones can be savoury or sweet and usually eaten for breakfast, but are also served with tea in coffee houses and tea rooms around our region.

Scones got their start as a Scottish quick bread originally made with oats and griddle-baked, today’s version is more made with flour and baked in the oven.

As for the origin of the word ‘Skone’, some say it comes from the Dutch word ‘schoobrot’, which means beautiful bread, while others argue it comes from Stone of Destiny, where the Kings of Scotland were crowned and scones originated in the early 1500s.

Scones became popular and an essential part of the fashionable ritual of taking tea in England when Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788-1861), one late afternoon ordered the servants to bring her tea and some sweet breads, which included scones.

She was so delighted by this, that she ordered it every afternoon and what has now become a English tradition is the ‘’afternoon Tea Time’’ (precisely at 4pm). They are still served daily with the traditional jam and clotted cream topping.

The humble scone as Britain’s most controversial confection? We can’t agree on how to pronounce them or eat them, and the poor scone has been further endangered by the discovery it contains gazillions of calories.

Can it be said? All this when it already had enough on its plate when lockdown hit our tea rooms.

I can only say, pronounce it scone, don’t ban clotted cream, and don’t put it on a diet. Have them as a hefty indulgence and accept certain foods are rare treats!             

Cheese and Chive Scone Loaf

Ingredients

75g chilled unsalted butter, cubed 

375g self-raising flour, sifted 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

100ml milk or 200ml without the buttermilk 

100ml buttermilk 

100g extra mature Cheddar, grated, plus extra for sprinkling 

20g chives, snipped into small pieces, plus extra for sprinkling 

Black pepper 

Method   

1. Preheat the oven to 220c/Gas Mark 7 and grease a 2lb small loaf tin with butter. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour, and baking powder rubbing it altogether until fully integrated. 

3. Mix in the milk, buttermilk, cheese and chives with a wooden spoon until it all comes together to a dough. 

4. Season with black pepper and knead for one to two minutes until just smooth. 

5. Lightly dust a work surface with a little flour, and make the dough into a loaf shape to fit the tin.  

6. Transfer to the tin, and with a sharp knife slice the top of the loaf four times. 

7. Brush the top of the loaf with a little milk and sprinkle over the extra cheese and chives. 

8. Bake for 35/40 minutes until golden, allowing to cool for 30 minutes before removing from the tin, slicing and serving.