Dill & feta scones

And a welcome return to routine

Happy bank holiday Monday! We’re back in London after a weekend camping in my auntie and uncle’s garden. We swam in the bracing Suffolk sea, drank tea on the beach, watched our grandparents attempt to toast marshmallows and revelled in a weekend of patchy phone reception.

Suddenly there’s a nip in the air in the mornings and, love summer as I do, I can’t help welcoming the dewy, cool morning sunshine which means September is coming, and with it the comforting feeling of routine, of a new term, of wearing jumpers again. It’s silly really, given my school days are long behind me, but I always breath a small sigh of relief when August ends and normal service resumes. Perhaps it’s the hangover of being the child of teachers, perhaps I’m institutionalised. Whatever it is, I’m excited to wave goodbye to the pressure to have fun that summer always holds for me. And to get my coat collection out of the attic.

Camping is always a lovely last hurrah before autumn arrives and, with 38 family members descending on their garden, my auntie asked us all to bring food contributions for the weekend. These little canapé scones were one of mine. With all the buttery, salty enjoyment of a classic cheese scone, but cut with mountains of fresh dill and crumbly bites of feta, these were a good experiment. The perfect accompaniment to a cool and crisp glass of white, with or without the camp fire.

Cut them small, like I did, if nibbles are in order, or go classic and serve them for breakfast or at teatime. The below recipe made 32 mini scones, but could easily be doubled or tripled.

200g plain flour

1 tsp light brown sugar (or use caster sugar)

1.5 tsp baking powder

0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda

0.5 tsp fine salt

Grind of black pepper

90g unsalted butter

75g sour cream, or yoghurt

1 egg

Half a bunch of dill, leaves picked and finely chopped

100g feta cheese, crumbled

Extra egg yolk to wash, optional

Weigh the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper into a bowl, and mix with your fingers. Add the butter, then rub it into the flour mix until sandy and relatively evenly dispersed.

Add the sour cream and egg, and use a fork to mix through roughly. It doesn’t need to be perfectly combined.

Add the chopped dill and crumbled feta, mix, then turn out onto a work surface and use your hands to bring it into a dough. Try not to over mix, and handle as little as you can to get it into a dough. Shape into a rectangle, roll to around 2cm in thickness, then wrap in cling film and put in the fridge to rest and chill for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 180C, and line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove the clingfilm, and cut into little triangles, or stamp out rounds if you prefer. Arrange on the baking tray, and brush with egg yolk, beaten egg, or milk.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a little golden, risen and cooked through.