As far back as I can remember my mother would have hot cross buns ready to serve straight after the Good Friday ceremonies. I was never too keen on them as there always seemed to be too many sultanas and too little of the actually ‘bun’, for my liking. I'm now a great fan of these traditional cakes, but my children would share the opinion of my childhood self.                                                       

Little hands make easy work of scone-making!

 So, in a bid to uphold a long-standing Good Friday tradition a few years ago I decided to create a scone recipe that would encapsulate the familiar flavours of the hot cross bun, with mixed spice and orange zest. Of course, they could hardly be offered as hot cross anything if not for the cross on the top, so a little paste made with flour, sugar and water, and piped onto the uncooked scones, gave the appropriate look to these Good Friday bakes. They worked out a treat and were declared a hit with both adults and children alike.

Hot Cross Scones

Ingredients

For the Cross:

50g plain flour

25g caster sugar

50mls water

For the Scones 

450g plain flour, plus extra for the work surface

1 tsp baking powder

50g caster sugar

½ tsp mixed spice
100g cold butter, cut into cubes

100g sultanas

Zest of 1 orange

250mls milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

For Glaze:

30mls milk

25g granulated sugar

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas mark 6.
2. First make the mixture for the cross, by combining the flour and caster sugar together in a small bowl. Gradually add the water until it turns into a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nuzzle. Leave to one side.

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sultanas and orange zest. Combine well.
5. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the milk and the egg to the dry ingredients.
6. Mix together with a wooden spoon, and then use your hands to make a soft dough.
7. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly- not too much as the scones will become tough. Roll out the dough and cut out using a medium circular cutter, making about 12 scones.

8. For the cross mix the flour and sugar in a bowl.
9. Place the scones on a floured baking tray and pipe a cross onto each one. Brush the un-piped area of the tops with a little milk and then sprinkle each with a little granulated sugar.
10. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire tray. Best served warm with a good smothering of butter.

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Easter!

Nessa x

I have always had a great love for all types of cheeses. I have memories of being out for dinner, with my parents, starting from when I was as young as seven, and when given the option between dessert or a cheeseboard, the chessboard would always be my preferred choice. I now could quite happily incorporate cheese into any dish, as there are just so many different types, varieties and flavours, that can complement many ingredients. The cheese made from the Co. Tipperary based farm, Cooleeney are ones that I have very much enjoyed to cook with, but quite often have savoured just alongside a nice bread and a dollop of chutney. I was delighted, a few months back, when a lovely lady from Cooleeney contacted me to see if I'd devise a few recipes for Cooleeney's newsletter, using some of their magnificent cheeses. This is my recipe for cheese & chive scones which was included in Cooleeney's spring newsletter. I make scones almost every other day, as the kids love them and they make very convenient lunch box fillers. These scones are perfect served with just butter, but are even nicer when topped with a chunk of Cooleeney's Darú, a few slices of tomato and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Cheese & Chive Scones

Ingredients:
450g/1lb plain flour 
1 teasp baking powder
25g/1oz caster sugar
100g/4oz butter
250mls fresh milk
100g/4oz Darú Cheese, grated
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

For Glaze:Egg wash - some beaten egg with a little milk

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/430°F/Gas mark 7
2. Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the butter and toss in the flour mixture. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Stir in the grated Darú and finely chopped chives.
5. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk to the dry ingredients.
6. Mix together with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to make a soft dough.
7. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly- not too much as the scones would become tough. Roll out the dough and cut out using a circular cutter.
8. Brush the tops with the egg wash.
9. Bake in the oven for 10-12mins until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire tray.
10. Serve with a nice chunk of Darú, sliced tomatoes and some finely chopped chives.

As a mother, one of the great advantages to school holidays is that early mornings are free of the chore of packing lunches. Every parent knows how disheartening it is to spend time making  lunch only for it to return untouched in the evening. So I generally try to include a few bits in the lunch box that are guaranteed to be eaten. For our bodies to function at it's best so much is dependent on how and what we eat. With this in mind, for little ones to make the most of their day at school, it's important that they eat a healthy filling lunch.

Even tough recently there has been a lot of discussions in the media about what we put into our children's sandwiches it can often be more important what we use to make these sandwiches with. The over consumption of processed white bread can be detrimental to good health. It is made from refined flour and has very little nutrients or fibre. New research has shown that it's not necessarily carbohydrates that lead to weight gain but more the type of carbs that are eaten. More refined and processed foods such as white bread are one of the worst culprits! So it's no harm to limit our white bread intake and where possible substitute it with a healthier alternative.
 Most children like to bring a sandwich as part of their lunch but as a nice change a homemade scone would certainly be well received. The wonderful thing about these scones is that you can make a large batch of them at the beginning of the week, freeze and then simply defrost in the microwave each morning. This will only  take a minute and the scone will taste perfectly fresh. The scones could be served with just butter and jam or your child's favourite sandwich filler would also be perfect.

Healthy Wholemeal Lunchtime Scones

Ingredients:
600g Plain Flour
300g wholemeal flour 
2 teasp baking powder
Pinch of salt
75g caster sugar
170g Butter
2 eggs
450mls milk
For Glaze:Egg wash - some beaten egg with a little milk
Granulated sugar-on a small plate { don't put on scones if filling with a savoury filler}


Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6
2. Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.
3. Cut the butter into small cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Whisk the eggs with the milk.
5. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the whisked egg and milk to the dry ingredients.
6. Mix together with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to make a soft dough.
7. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly- not too much as the scones would become tough. Roll out the dough and cut out using a circular cutter.
8. Brush the tops with the egg wash and dip into the granulated sugar.
9. Bake in the oven for 10-12mins until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire tray.

Scones are something so delicious and so easy to make. Myself and the boys make them a few times a week and we enjoy them the most when they are straight out of the oven with butter and homemade jam. This is a basic scone recipe but sometimes we vary this recipe by adding a few chocolate chips or leave out the sugar and add some grated cheese and chopped spring onions. I find the scones turn out better when they are barely kneaded- just turn out onto a floured surface and make shapes with a cutter.

Scrumptious Sweet Scones

Ingredients (makes 10 scones)
450g/1lb Self Raising Flour
Pinch of salt
25g/1oz caster sugar
85g/3oz Butter
1 large egg
225mls milk
For Glaze
Egg wash (some beaten egg with a little milk)
Granulated sugar-on a small plate

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6
2. Sieve all the ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut the butter into small cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter
4. Whisk the egg with the milk
5. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the whisked egg and milk to the dry ingredients.
6. Mix together with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to make a soft dough
7. Turn dough out onto a floured board. Wash and dry hands. Knead lightly- not too much as the scones would become tough. Roll out the dough and cut out using a circular cutter.
8. Brush the tops with the egg wash and dip into the granulated sugar.
9. Bake in the oven for 10-12mins until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire tray.
10. Serve with butter and homemade jam and enjoy. Delicious!