Cherry Almond Scones

If you don't already own The National Trust Teatime Baking Book, then my advice is GET IT. The recipes are extremely reliable, easy and always turn out well. The book contains recipes for breads, fruited buns, scones, muffins & splits, tarts, flans, biscuits and cakes - talk about value for money! Here's something from the scone section, and I wouldn't blame you if you promoted it to your all-time favourite scone recipe.

Cherry Almond Scones

(Recipe from The National Trust Teatime Baking Book)

Makes 20 scones

450g self-raising flour, sifted

½ teaspoon baking powder

100g butter, softened

75g caster sugar

175g glacé cherries, roughly chopped

1 egg, beaten

A few drops of almond essence

175-200ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two baking trays. Mix together the flour and baking powder and rub in the butter. Add the sugar, cherries, beaten egg, almond essence and enough milk to give a soft but not sticky dough. Knead lightly until smooth. On a floured board, roll out to a thickness of 1cm (½in) and cut out rounds using a 5cm (2in) cutter. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen, firm and golden. Remove from oven and lift on to a wire rack to cool. Serve with butter or clotted cream and jam.