Cheese scones with cherry chutney

I have been struggling with the flu for the last two days. Deciding to walk around the Christmas market in the pouring rain does that to you.

With the temperatures dropping and the sun becoming very shy this time of year it has been easy for me to sleep in. And sleeping in means that meals merge into one another and this gives me a great excuse to have brunch in bed.

In England scones are often eaten as an afternoon treat, with tea and sweet toppings like clotted cream and jam, and although I will never say never to a scone with cream and jam I will always reach for the savoury ones first.

Scones are not what first pops into people’s mind when they think of brunch, but for me that’s the perfect dish to have with coffee. Fluffy cakes with tangy cheese.

Chutney is often paired with cheese scones but my choice of cherries as the fruit is unconventional for a chutney. It makes it a little sweeter than traditional recipes, but as a big fan of sweet and sour tastes this was a gamble that paid off.

Sweet cherry chutney (yields around 300g)

250g frozen pitted cherries

1 small red onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic

2 stems of crystalised ginger

100ml cider vinegar

25g dark brown sugar

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp tomato puree

1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pan over medium heat, stir until it start to boil then leave it to simmer on low heat. Once you scrape the bottom of the pan and the chutney doesn’t run back into the gap it’s ready to be taken off the heat.

Cheese and chive scones (makes 10)

450g plain flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

100g cold butter

150g mature cheddar, grated

100g parmesan, grated

1 bunch of chives, chopped

40ml cold milk

140ml water

2 tsp english mustard

1 egg and a splash of milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and work it into the dry mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Mix the cheeses together and leave a handful to one side. Add the cheese and chive to the bowl.

3. Mix liquids together and stir in the mustard. Add this to the dough to bind it, mixing until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, but careful not to over work it.

4. Flatten it out on a lightly floured surface leaving the dough quite thick at around 3 inches and cut the scones with a round cookie cutter. You may have to repeat the steps to use all the dough.

5. Place scones on a lined baking tray. Lightly beat the egg with a splash of milk and brush this mixture over the top of the scones, add a sprinkle of cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes