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.
PJ Girl said:
These look fantastic! You’ve definitely got my tastes buds going with this one x
thegardendeli said:
Thanks! My husband had some tonight reheated for tea and thought they were still really good.
Liz said:
I make a version with corn and another with carrot and spices. I call them fritters but they are much the same thing. I love your combinations – sound great. I make them every week for either breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on how I’m feeling. They are definitely a family favourite. I like that you call them drop scones – that’s what my mum calls the sweet version.
thegardendeli said:
Both the corn and the spiced carrot versions sound good – I think this could be that start of making these on a regular basis with different flavours. The children have told me that they are pancakes not drop scones, so I may have to change the name!
Bridget said:
They sound delicious…must go and have some brekkie!
thegardendeli said:
Thanks Bridget – I think they’d make for a good lazy brunch at the weekend too.
Urvashi Roe said:
These look perfect for breakfast tomo x