Drop Scones

Gosh, I love it when good friends visit. This weekend I was treated to the company of a very old friend and her husband. Being newlyweds, these two are a delight to be around as they genuinely glow with togetherness. They also happen to make rather good food and I’m not one to turn down the offer of someone else cooking for me, especially when it means I can pinch any of their tried and tested recipes. The Sunday morning brought fresh winter sunshine and I was woken by some clonking about in the kitchen. After wrapping up against the chill I was greeted with the sight of my friends whisking up some drop scone mix. A very large portion of Thai curry the night before had me wondering whether I could manage anything that substantial for breakfast, but the result was actually very light and fluffy. We hurriedly polished off the entire batch with maple syrup, Drunken Monkey (see previous post), and apricot jam. All washed down with huge mugs of tea and plenty of nattering. Here’s the original recipe from Rachel Allen:

100g (4oz) self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
25g (1oz) caster sugar
Pinch of salt
1 organic egg
125ml (4fl oz) milk
Drop of sunflower oil, for greasing

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the sugar and salt and stir to mix. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg and whisk, gradually drawing in the flour from the edge. Add the milk gradually, whisking all the time, to form a smooth batter.


Lightly grease a frying pan and warm it over a moderate heat. Drop 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, keeping them well apart so they don't stick together. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface and begin to burst and the drop scones are golden underneath (and not before).Then flip them over and cook on the other side for a minute or so, until golden on this side as well. Remove from the pan and serve warm.