A snuggle of scones

Every once in a while, when the little ones are napping, I'm hit with the procrastinating call of baking. And then I talk myself out of it in case one wakes up or the guilt that I haven't folded the washing kicks in. As a result, I've barely baked since they arrived, so when the baking bug hits I never have the ingredients in. On a whim, I recently bought a bag of sultanas and there they sat on the worktop eager to be used. Not quite Michael McIntyre's pot of five spice, but certainly getting a little downhearted at being overlooked and obscured by the box of weetabix and general detritus.

But today during nap time, for some reason, I decided to bake scones. I do love a scone. There's something so comforting about them - which is somewhat needed with this weather of late. I like mine cold, with all the trimmings and a steaming mug of tea. Creme fraiche instead of clotted cream is rather controversial but a surprisingly good alternative and what's usually in the fridge. The majority of shop sold scones are a tad mediocre - either so dry that they turn to dust as you try to spread them with butter or so cloying that they get stuck to the roof of your mouth. A pile of scones sitting resplendent on a cafe counter will immediately get my hopes up, especially when they're as big as my hand, but invariably they're more rock cake with a bit of height than the Enid Blyton afternoon treat that I was so looking forward to.

Anyway, I've not made scones since I was at school - I always thought that they were a faff to make. Turns out, they're super quick to make and even quicker to bake. I used this Delia recipe - and it's perfect. Naturally I couldn't find the proper cutters, so had to improvise, but the recipe made eight decent sized scones that cooked in 12 minutes. What's not to love! I honestly can't believe I've not made them this century.