Watercress cheese scones recipe

This super easy scone recipe is a great one to make with the kids - they'll love the cheesy flavour and the watercress will give them an added dose of veggies too. You only need a few store-cupboard ingredients to whip them up and, served with homemade spicy butter, they're a tasty treat that you can pop into lunchboxes or use as a quick after school snack. They'd be lovely as part of an afternoon tea spread as well!

Ingredients

• 200g self-raising flour 
• 2 level tsp baking powder
• 1tsp mustard powder
• 50-60g butter
• 75-85g bag of fresh watercress, finely chopped
• 75g mature Cheddar, grated
• 150ml buttermilk or semi-skimmed milk
• Spicy Butter, to serve, (for the recipe, see Sue’s Tip) 

You will need

:

• 6cm or 7cm (21⁄2in or 23⁄4in) plain cutter
• Baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Set the oven to 220°C/430°F/Gas Mark 7. Sift the flour, baking powder and mustard into a large bowl. Season. Slice in the butter then rub it in with your fingertips
2. Stir in the watercress and about two-thirds of the cheese.
3. Stir in the milk and mix to a soft dough with a round- bladed knife. Knead a little on a lightly floured surface then roll out to about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Cut out as many scones as you can, then knead the leftover dough together, roll out lightly and cut out more scones. Put on the lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before serving as they are, or split and serve with Spicy Butter.