Cheddar & sage scones

Cheddar & sage scones

By James Martin
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(8 ratings)
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Prep: 10 mins Cook: 15 mins

Easy

Makes 8
Make sure you use a punchy mature cheese to shine through these savoury scones made with mustard and buttermilk

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable
  • Vegetarian

Nutrition: per scone

  • kcal207
  • fat11g
  • saturates6g
  • carbs21g
  • sugars1g
  • fibre1g
  • protein7g
  • salt0.6g
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Ingredients

  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 1½ tsp English mustard powder
    Mustard

    Mustard

    muss-tard

    A condiment made by mixing the ground seeds of the mustard plant with a combination of…

  • 50g cold butter, cubed
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 100g mature cheddar, grated
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus 8 small leaves
    Sage

    Sage

    sa-age

    Popular in both Italian and British cookery, sage has long, grey-green leaves with a slightly…

  • 1 egg, beaten
    Eggs

    Egg

    egg

    The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

  • 100ml buttermilk
    Buttermilk pancake mixture in bowl with whisk

    Buttermilk

    buh-ter-mill-k

    There are two types of buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk is a thin, cloudy, slightly tart but…

Method

  1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the flour, mustard powder, ½ tsp salt and a grinding of black pepper in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in half of the cheese and the sage. Mix together the egg and buttermilk in a separate bowl.

  2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour in all but ½ tbsp of the buttermilk mix. Working quickly, stir until the mixture forms a soft, spongy dough. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Roll out to a 3cm-thick square. Cut into quarters, then half each quarter diagonally, so you have 8 triangles. Place the scones on a floured baking tray, brush with the remaining buttermilk, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and top each with a sage leaf. Bake for 12-14 mins until they are well risen, golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Eat while still warm, spread with butter.

  • Recipe Tip

    Choosing your cheddar

    Make sure you use a mature cheese that packs a punch, so that the flavour shines through. We used Wookey Hole Cheddar, made in Dorset, but you could also use Lincolnshire Poacher, Westcombe, Montgomery’s or Isle of Mull cheddars.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Claire V
5th Sep, 2017
5.05
Just made this recipe with forgotten-in-the-fridge reblochon and ground cumin instead of sage leaves. Perfect!
laggy1
11th Jul, 2015
4.05
Used chives instead of sage, lovely scones
ellie_bee42
6th Nov, 2014
5.05
Really great recipe!
terena
20th Apr, 2014
I've never had savoury scones before, but this has definitely made me a convert! I didn't have any sage and I used milk rather than buttermilk, but they were still perfect. The cheesy flavour is subtle, and they go great with soup
valbox
12th Sep, 2013
Ooh! These were scrummy. Didn't put the sage leaf on top though...I didn't fancy it catching and getting burnt, it would have spoiled it. Also, I set my alarm for 12 minutes when I popped them in the oven, but looked them after about 10 minutes, and they already looked as done as the one's in the picture above...which is a bit too well done for me and the kids. Never-the-less they tasted great with the homemade soup I made to go with them.
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