Back from my Bulgarian ski and food adventures (more posts to follow…)and I came back to a fruit bowl full of lemons that demanded action.

I initialy thought of making up Magdelenas but then I recalled that during my holiday I was increasingly reminded of how British / English I was. Maybe it was something to do with the extreme constrast between Eastern European and Western European life. In anycase on the plane home I was already thinking how much I would to bake a Victoria sponge cake washed down with a cup of Earl Grey tea. However I settled on scones which I feel are quintessentially English. 

I found a simple recipe and added my own lemon embellishment. Tasty and light was the verdict. We won’t talk about the shape…

Ingredients

225g/8oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

55g/2oz butter

25g/1oz caster sugar

150ml/5fl oz milk

1 free-range egg, beaten, to glaze (alternatively use a little milk)

Juice and zest of one lemon 

Method

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.

Stir in the sugar and then the milk, lemon juice and zest to get a soft dough.

Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.

Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.

Cool on wire rack.