Over the years I have never really mastered the art of making perfectly formed scones in terms of their size and shape. Luckily though, despite their imperfections they have been beautiful and delicious on the inside (just like ourselves!). Now, I no longer  beat myself up about not being able to make the ‘perfect’ scone , instead I take comfort in the  fact that there are rarely any left just 24 hours after coming out of the oven!  They are always best eaten on the day they are made but if you do end up with some left over a day or two later believe me there is nothing as tasty with a cup of tea as a toasted scone with some delicious Irish butter melting down through it. No need to feel guilty as homemade scones, because of their size  contain a fraction of the calories in shop-bought scones. I have tried many, many scone recipes and this is the one that has worked best for me. It is from a book called ‘ The Best of Irish Breads & Baking” by Georgina Campbell.

Time: 30 mins (15 mins prep + 15/20 mins in the oven)

Makes approx 12 scones

Ingredients

450g (1lb) plain (cream) flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of sugar
60g  / 2 ½ oz sultanas
50g / 2oz butter, at room temperature
1 small egg, lightly beaten
300ml / ½ pint buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425F / 220C or gas 7

Method

• Grease 2 baking trays or line with silicon mats
• Sieve the flour, salt & baking soda into a mixing bowl
• Cut in the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
• Add the sugar and mix well.
• Make a well in the middle and add the egg and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough
• Turn onto a floured work surface and knead lightly for a few seconds, into a round shape
• Roll out gently to approx, ½ inch / 1.2cm thick
• Cut out scones using a fluted cutter, gathering up the trimmings and lightly re-rolling
• Arrange on baking trays, leaving space between the scones to rise and expand.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown
• Cool on wire racks and serve with butter and jam.