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Savoury drop scones – what a great idea!  And an original one too I thought, for about 10 seconds until I searched the internet and I discovered I was far from the first to have it… but I still thought it was a great idea.

The basic recipe of flour, eggs, milk and butter lends itself to all kinds of flavours.  Chopped herbs and goat’s cheese would work, or maybe cheddar and sautéed red onion, or grilled halloumi with chilli and coriander – what would you choose, any more ideas to add to the list would be more than welcome!

Checking out what was available in the garden and the fridge, I came up with a handful of fresh spinach leaves, and a piece of creamy Lancashire cheese.  Add some chilli and salt, a squeeze of lime juice, and there you have it – breakfast!

Spinach & Cheese Drop Scones

A good handful of spinach leaves

25g unsalted butter, plus more for cooking the drop scones

Freshly ground black pepper

125g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp chilli flakes

a good pinch of salt

1 large egg

160ml milk

75g crumbled Lancashire cheese

A squeeze of lime juice and some freshly made herb butter (I used parsley), to serve

 

Wash and dry the spinach leaves, then rip them into smallish pieces.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the spinach and wilt it down over a gentle heat.  Season with plenty of black pepper and set aside.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the baking powder, chilli flakes and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients to mix.  Make a well in the centre and break the egg into it along with a good splash of the milk.  Whisk everything together until you have a thick batter, then add the rest of the milk and the spinach with the butter it was cooked in.  Whisk again until everything is thoroughly mixed.  Stir in the crumbled cheese.

Melt a knob of butter in a heavy based frying pan over a medium to high heat.  When the butter starts to bubble, add spoonfuls of the batter and leave to cook for a few minutes.  When the bottom of the drop scone is set and golden brown, flip it over and cook the other side for a minute or so.  Have a warmed plate ready to keep the scones hot while the rest cook.

Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and some homemade salty herb butter.

Makes 10-12 drop scones.