Cheese scones


Makes 8-12 scones  
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

Ingredients
225g/8oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter 
25g/1oz mature cheddar cheese, grated
150ml/5fl oz milk

Method
1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter. 
3. Stir in the cheese and then the milk to get a soft dough.
4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on the baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.5. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack.





Cheese straws


Makes 24  
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time less than 10 mins

Quick and easy to make, cheese straws are just a very buttery, cheesy pastry. It is important that the cheese you use is really strong and well flavoured. 

Ingredients
100g/3½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
150g/5¼oz mature cheddar cheese, or a mixture of cheddar and Parmesan
100g/3½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper 
1 free-range egg yolk
soured cream, to serve (optional)

Method
1. Heat oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with butter and cover it with a piece of baking parchment.
2. Finely grate the cheese into a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour and add a sprinkling of cayenne pepper (remember it can be very spicy). Add some freshly ground black pepper and mix.
3. Cut the butter into little cubes and rub them into the mixture with your fingertips. When the butter has almost disappeared into the flour and you have a crumbly mixture, stir in the egg yolk with a butter knife.
4. Gather the pastry into a ball of dough (it should come together very easily). Dust the work surface with plenty of flour. Carefully roll out the cheese dough into a rough square. It should be about 5mm thick. Neaten the edges with the side of your hand.
5. With a sharp knife, cut the square into strips, then each strip into fingers. Gently lift them on to the lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one.
6. Wearing oven gloves, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about eight minutes, but check after five or six minutes, as oven temperatures vary. The cheese straws should be a very pale golden brown. They are fragile when they come out of the oven, so leave them to sit for five minutes before you try to move them. Then carefully lift up the baking parchment and transfer everything to a wire rack to cool for a few more minutes.
7. Eat them when they are still warm from the oven, either on their own or dipped into a bowl of soured cream.



Cheese straws


Makes 24  
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

Ingredients
1 x 375g/13oz packet ready rolled puff pastry
55g/2oz unsalted butter, melted
55g/2oz freshly grated parmesan
10 anchovies, drained and cut in half lengthways
2 tbsp freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp water

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 210C/425F/Gas7.
2. Place the pastry on a floured work surface and roll out slightly to create a square. Using a large sharp knife trim the edges of the pastry so that the straws cook uniformly. 
3. Brush the pastry lightly with the melted butter and then cut the pastry in half.
4. On the first pastry half, arrange the anchovies in lengths along the pastry then sprinkle over the chopped parsley and a quarter of the grated parmesan. Spread the other piece of pastry with the sun-dried tomato paste and sprinkle with a quarter of the grated parmesan.
3. Fold the bottom half of each piece over the top half and gently press down. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.
4. With a large sharp knife cut the pastry, lengthways, into 1cm/½in strips. Hold the ends between your fingers and carefully stretch and twist the strips in opposite directions. Place the twisted strips onto lightly oiled baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Place in the oven and bake for 10 -12 minutes or until crisp and golden.
5. Remove the cheese straws from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up. Using a palette knife carefully transfer the cheese straws to a wire rack or serving plate.