Cheese & Ham Scones - Makes 8

These are delicious served warm with soup, or even as
breakfast on the go. You can use whatever cheese you like
in these, but we think the strong Cheddar goes really well
with the Ham & Coleman’s crackling.

Piggin' Ingredients:

• 85g Butter, Cold and cubed, plus extra to grease
• 350g Self-raising flour, Plus more for dusting
• 1 Teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 125g Strong Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• 65g Ham, torn into small pieces
• 50g Snaffling Pig Hame & Colemans Mustard Crackling, roughly crushed
• 175ml Buttermilk
• 1 Medium Egg, beaten to glaze

Recipe: 

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas Mark 7. Grease a baking sheet and put it in the oven to heat up. Sift the flour, baking powder and mustard powder into a large bowl, add the salt and mix. Add the butter, then lightly rub in with your fingertips, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir 100g of the Cheddar, the ham and crackling into the flour mix, being careful not to overmix and break up the crackling too much. Make a well in the dry mix, pour in the buttermilk and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife until the dough comes together.

Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Flour the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then knead the dough a little until smooth (the key to good scones is not to overwork the dough, so go lightly).

Pat into a round, about 4cm deep. Flour a serrated knife and cut the dough into 8 wedges. Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining Cheddar, then carefully place each wedge onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes until risen and slightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

TOP TIP:
These are best eaten on the day they are made, but will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. To serve, warm in an oven preheated to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas Mark 3 for a few minutes.