23 January, Wednesday: Hand-me-down recipes

Rainy afternoons like today are ideal for baking. My tried and tested tested recipe for cheese scones (these are English 'scones') was handed down by my mother who believed afternoon tea had to be served with scones: hot buttery plain scones, fancy scones topped with strawberry jam and cream; fruit scones; savoury scones and health scones made with wholewheat flour and bran. My daughters love this recipe and on my next visit to my granddaughters, I plan to make it with them as I have with other young friends. It's so easy and fail-proof; children love it. The recipe is still written in my mum's own small, neat print.

Here goes!

1 cup grated strong Cheddar cheese

1 cup flour

1 dessertspoon of baking powder

A third of a cup of sunflower or canola oil

One egg

1 third cup water

1 teaspoon of paprika (or curry powder)

Pinch of salt

Method:

1 Heat oven to 200 Celsius

2 Sift dry ingredients

3 Break egg into cup with oil and fill with water

4 Mix oil, egg and water and cheese with dry ingredients

5 Spoon into muffin pan for large scones or onto baking tray

7 Bake for 8-10 minutes

Butter when hot and eat serve as soon as you can. Like all scones, they freeze fine but don't keep well otherwise.