It’s Saturday. It’s lunch time, open the fridge…feta, celery, fennel and a couple of sweet cured herring. So, I can make salad but… OH NO! There is no bread, a dried up heel of homemade bread and nothing of interest in the freezer. Not enough time to make fresh for lunch… but what is this? A bag of scone mix made in June – PERFECT!
Honestly, that’s how it often is when I am making lunch. I seem to be able to plan the main meal of the day, but forage in my fridge and cupboards for lunch!
In the back of my mind, I am always wondering how I can fit my meals with a blog challenge, and Herbs on Saturday hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage, came to mind, so off to the garden for some chives, thyme and rosemary. Do you like my new mixing jug? I got it half price in the sales and I love it, my husband refers to it as my ‘guzzunder’ or ‘potty’ he is so coarse, it does look a bit like a potty though – ha ha!
Back to the recipe. Scone, herbs and what else? I remember Jac of Tinned Tomatoes blogged some fabulous cheese scones she made with her son, Cooper, when they were in Cyprus. We always have lots of cheese so including that is no problem.
Basic Scone Mix
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g soft margarine or butter
Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the magarine or butter and rub it in wiht your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
This is your basic mix, you can double or treble it, bag or box it and freeze for up to three months.
For a sweet scone, add 25g caster sugar
For a savoury scone, add a pinch of salt
Heat the oven to 200C and lightly grease a baking sheet.
For a Cheese and Herb Scone add a tablespoon of finely chopped herbs, I used chives, rosemary and thyme, then stir in 100g of cheese, I used a mixture of Gran Padano and Cheddar (whatever you have in the fridge).
Crack the egg into a measure, lightly beat it and then make up to 150ml with milk. Stir in the egg and milk and mix to a soft dough. Turn out and either roll out to 1.25cm thickness and cut out individual scone rounds or slap the whole thing on a baking sheet.
Grate over some more cheese to cover the top. For individual scones bake for 10 minutes, for a mega-scone bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool.
I served the scone with some salad leaves from my garden sweet pickled herring and Feta cheese, celery, fennel and walnut salad dressed with a French dressing of olive oil and white wine vinegar.
It was just perfect with the salad, I would probably add more herbs next time as they were rather overpowered by the cheese, but overall, it was an ideal quick bread.
And so to the Giveaway. I mentioned that I foraged in my fridge and cupboards, I also forage a bit in the hedgerows around my farm, I was watching Three Go Mad at River Cottage (fabulous) and thought I really should make Nettle Soup as we have loads of nettles. Anyway, you now have the chance to win a foraging classic from The Works, ‘Food for Free’ by Richard Mabey. Did you know you could order books from the The Works online? There are so many to choose from and such great bargains.
Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget to enter.
Blue Kitchen Bakes says
Great scone recipe, cheesy scones are yummy.
For the giveaway my favourite free food is blackberries, fresh from the bush is always better than from the shop.
Caroline says
Oh I do love a good scone. Haven't made savoury ones though – perhaps I should be a bit more adventurous!
Gillian Holmes says
Young dandelion leaves.
searchingforspice says
brambles are the only free food I eat. I'm just not confident enough to try anything else – I think I might poison myself!
Vanesther says
I do love a cheese scone – haven't made them for ages, so this has definitely inspired me. And I love the idea of using lots of herbs too. Great entry for this month's 'Herbs on Saturday' challenge – thank you for entering!
Glasgow Foodie says
Love Nasturtium flowers, gorgeous
Galina Varese says
Blackberries, young nettles and roses, all pesticide-free in my secret garden.
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
I love your big spotty mixing bowl jug thingy… can I have that instead?… also loving a cheese scone instead of bread, that's genius… I never think of that as an alternative but it totally makes sense… thanks for the inspiration!
Karen S Booth says
FABULOUS entry for Herbs on Saturday Janice and as you know, I LOVE a good cheese scone, in fact, scones are my favourite baked treat!
I am GOING to enter in to your giveaway too, as I LOVE foraging, always have done…..and my favourite free foods are elderflowers, elderberries (although I DO have a tree in my garden!) nettles, blackberries and sloes for sloe gin! Karen
PS: Thanks for your entry too!
Jo says
I think this is such a hard question as I love collecting free food, wild garlic, blackberries, elderflower. But I think sloes not a short term free foood, but the art of turning bitter berries into a warming winter tipple is very cool.
Jo says
Could be repeating first comment, sorry if so. I love lots of free foods, always on the lookout to freebie hunt, wild garlic, blackberries. But my favourite are sloes, they are bitter and not for indulging in the short term, but come witer give a lovely warming, potent tipple!
maxineflossy says
Another fan of elderflowers and elderberries – they are so versatile – I've got some elderberry vinegar ageing at the moment, and I think it can give balsamic a run for it's money!
hannahmdy says
Wild garlic 🙂
7hippopotamus says
Blackberries
Baking Addict says
Love scone – cheese scones are my favourite and the addition of herbs can only make them better 🙂 Love your mixing jug too 🙂
lucy says
I love puffballs, so impressive for a foraged food!
Crystal Mse says
Blackberries straight from the bush then popped in to my gob ! x
twannywun says
garlic mustard!
karen s
twannywun at hotmail dot com
Hotrod mum says
It has to be herbs and blackberries oh and some apples from next doors tree lol
Phyllis Ellett says
Got to be blackberries, so abundant here.
Kate Cunningham says
Brambles are in abundance in my area and I am happy to pick them for jam
Carolin says
wild mushrooms, but you have to know what you pick of course 🙂
Maya Russell says
I like blueberries from the garden. I can make muffins, or put them into pancakes…
Maya Russell says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter.
Phyllis Ellett says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter
Janice5972 says
Blackberrys. Goes with all sorts
Tracy K Nixon says
Fish!!! My dad has a fishing boat and also fishes from the shore so we get plenty of fresh cod and haddock! he also goes fishing for salmon! Yummy!
Tracy K Nixon says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter.
Tink Rhonda Lee Mse says
Blackberries! love them.
soozybee says
Raspberries from my raspberry canes. Yum
Tink Rhonda Lee Mse says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter.
soozybee says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter
Sarah Lambert says
I luv blackberrys it so fun to go picking them with my two children its a great way for them to learn where food comes from 🙂
Ive signed up for the works newsletter Xx
Rich J says
Favourite free food are wild blackberries
Alison says
strawberries every year free because of all the new runners off the old plants you get loads of extra plants every year so even more free strawberries happy days
littlebean says
Blackberries! You can make a lovely blackberry and apple crumble 🙂
Claire says
You can't beat wild blackberries! I would love to try more food from the wild, so would love this book so I know what I'm doing!
vision123 says
Home grown potatoes
Caroline says
Goodness, I'm starving now! I love a forage and my favourite is Chanterelle mushrooms – I'm not an uber expert but have taken advice and done my homework so can identify a handful of different mushrooms safely, which is pretty crucial!
mellysocks says
Eggs from my mum's chickens 🙂
philiboy says
Blackberries – love them
Anonymous says
Blackberries yummy
sloes of course
and crab apples made into jelly
[email protected]
allansmithuk83 says
blackberries
Amy says
My faviourite free food has always been Dandelion Salad 🙂
JSPic says
Banana Muffins
Hilda Hazel Wright says
I don't know enough about free foods to be confident about it. I love mushrooms and it would be great to pick them while out walking but I'm not sure enough of identifying which are safe to eat. For the moment the only free food I get is if I pinch a bit of Rosemary off a bush in the park to put in a lamb casserole!!!
enderit says
Mushrooms
Victoria M says
I love the plums overhanging on neighbours trees
Mickie Bull says
Blackberries and apples!
Mickie Bull says
Blackberries and apples!
Hotrod mum says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter
legs21 says
my favourite free food is blackberries, fresh from the bush
Midastouch says
Free food? – Blackberries!!
relisys222 says
wild blackberries – so yummy x
Emma says
Wild garlic!
And that scone looks great 🙂
bazranz says
I love wild gooseberries, if you know where to look 😉
helen says
wild garlic
laura banks says
blackberries
jill36 says
Hazelnuts which grow in the woods behind my house.
Heather Haigh says
Bilberries.
Robyn Logan says
Mulberries
WeeWillieWilkie says
Brambles
Article Guru says
Has to be Nettles – you can use them in so many recipes and they are a great source of nutrients – Small nettles at the start of the the season are the most potent… Just make sure you wear your gloves to pick!!!!
kasza says
Blackberries
kasza says
"I've signed up to The Works Newsletter"
Alice Hindley says
my favourite free foods are blackberries and Raspberries love to make pies and fruit juice with them
Alice Hindley says
"I've signed up to The Works Newsletter"
natz101 says
Cherries from my two lovely big cherry trees!! 🙂
Emily Jane Ann Nelson says
Blackberries
Lo-Lo says
Elderflowers – so delicate
lisaell says
I love british plums and if they are in peoples garden I normally knock on the door and ask if I can have a few, cheeky but it works and the british plums are the best so well worth it.
Lucy Taylor says
So many to choose from! My favourites change with the seasons: Bilberries, damsons and wild mushrooms are all wonderful.
Olivia B says
I love most of all foraging for wild apples in the summer, there are so many trees around in my area, and once you know where they are you can go back year after year! I also like to find things in my back garden, dandelions, wild rocket and wild garlic are some of my favourites.
lottiegirl says
never thought of scones like that but will have to try sounds lovely. fav free food blackberries to go with the fallers of apples that my neighbour gives me often yummy pies.
Tracey Anne Berry says
It simply has to be blackberries – when we are driving or walking through the countryside I simply have to eat them as they're literally in every hedgerow although I do wonder about animals (and humans) weeing on them – don't know why it bothers me but certainly does't upset me enough to stop eating them LOL
Tracey Anne Berry says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter using traceyanneberry(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk xx
Lady Chelington says
has to be brambles from my garden for a lovely crumble
Emma Lowe says
the wild blackberries which grow over my shed
Emma Lowe says
I've signed up to The Works Newsletter
Annes S says
I do exactly the same, plan all my dinners and lunch is cupboard surprise!
The savoury scone is a great idea, will definitely try it out!
My favourite freebie is blackberries, I batch freeze pots of compote every year