Making three ingredient scones

I am rather partial to a scone. Whether it’s plain, fruit or cheese. With afternoon tea, or with soup (the cheese ones obviously). If you’re a cream then jam, or a jam then cream kind of person, I don’t mind.

I read a recipe recently, in the Sunday papers, about a three ingredient cookbook. It clearly stuck with me - one of the recipes was for scones - and I developed a scone craving. So while MOH cut the grass I gave it a go.

Can three ingredient scones, really work? The answer is kind of. Probably not for scone aficionados, but I think they’d be good for a scone craving, a bit of a science lesson or if you ever had the need for impromptu scones.

3 INGREDIENTS: LEMONADE, DOUBLE CREAM AND SELF-RAISING FLOUR

Yes, that’s right lemonade and cream and flour. And it works, weirdly. It fizzes too, hence the science lesson comment before. The recipe called for the flour to be sifted. Usually I wouldn’t bother, but given it was already a cheat recipe, I did. And quickly remembered why I usually don’t.

I do bake, but with more of a rustic style. Usually I can manage scones though. This time the mixture was quite claggy and my cutter was struggling, so they weren’t all quite as scone-like as perhaps they should be.

They taste ok though, with not unexpectedly, a hint of lemon.

Some looked like scones (see above), but others just looked as if they had a comb-over.

They taste like scones though. And one added to our lunch, means there’s less chance I’ll be hunting down some chocolate.

What do you think? Would you try them?

My garden in August

August has been a mixed month weather wise, hasn’t it? Warm days and very warm days, and days when it felt like summer had left completely, and then coming back warmer than ever. The very warm weather isn’t for me, that is, it isn’t for me when I have to function normally, which at home I do. Give me a beach and hot weather, and it’s a different matter. That’s also a different post, so let’s get back to the garden.

August was the month that finally the agapanthus really bloomed. They’ve been every-presents throughout the month, and even survived the strong winds. It’s definitely the month that they’re at their best, they’re also right by the conservatory window so we get to see them every day too. The second smaller pot, never managed any flowers, so I’ll need to rearrange the pots so they get the conditions they need to thrive. With plants, there’s no point trying to grow them where they’re not happy, as they just won’t and you’ll only be disappointed. We’ve had some success in previous years where they are now, but I don’t think a wet winter helped.

My garden accessory of the month has had to be twine. I’ve finally finished this ball - the last throes of the ball seemed to last forever. The fence and trellis on the patio has been the main recipient of most of the twine, which I’ve used to rearrange the overgrown climbing plants which I’d saved after quite a bit of thinning. I think we’ve gained about three foot of garden at trellis level, so the garden has a much more open feel to it.

At the back of the garden, in my new pots the lettuce has reached and grown through the chicken wire, no doubt helped by the rain. It’s also kept us fed and avoiding those plastic bags of salad. It’s still going strong, and I’m hoping while the weather lasts, so will the salad.

Here’s the work in progress, and where the twine has ended up. It now looks a lot more tidy, and the plants are already filling the trellis again providing privacy once more. There’s good news too in that the honeysuckle has survived, and I think it will benefit from a bit more space. All of this enforced tidying and pruning was as a result of some overzealous ivy removal from our next door neighbour. They cut the ivy so it died, but then just left it there looking ghastly and brown, so with some help from my side of the fence it was released to the floor, and subsequently the green bin.

Time for another agapanthus picture. Enjoy.

In the sleeper bed the Lords and Ladies have thrown up their hand grenade ‘flowers’ which have started to turn orange throughout the month. I’m not sure they’re coping so well with this latest bout of warm weather, or if they’ve just got top heavy and given up.

The everlasting sweet peas on the patio have been enjoying the early evening sun and golden light of the evenings, just as much as me.

This month we’ve been reminded again of the wildlife in our garden. The foxes have been noisy, and while out investigating one evening we almost tripped over this toad. He went into survival mode, and stayed dead still. I thought I’d trodden on him, so was feeling a bit guilty. However after a poke with my flip flop (sans foot) the poor thing acted like one of those frogs from the board game of old. It was still alive, but then I soon felt guilty again as it seemed to fly head first into the base of our parasol. Whoops. After that I left him to his own devices, I’m sure he was grateful.

There’s also been time for some annual maintenance, the yew had it’s yearly shape and trim. This year I mostly directed MOH, until it got too painful and the shape we’d been growing towards looked in jeopardy. Our hedge trimmer though is heavy, so it makes sense to split the trimming between us, and let’s be honest who doesn’t like a bit of power tool action?

As well as the lettuce, the courgette has started to flower. No vegetables yet, but I’m ever hopeful. The seeds were planted quite late so I’m not too upset with no yield yet, I suspect we might not be in glut territory with this plant, but that’s ok too.

Look, all of our hand grenades are orange, but as you can see the largest had already collapsed.

And finally we have beans, in pots. The runner beans failed to germinate at all, but we still have some dwarf beans - although they seem to have taken a shine to climbing up the pea sticks, which is a little odd.

So despite the weather, the garden has done really well. The tomatoes are taking forever to ripen, but I think I know why. Our trees are at the tallest they grow to, so there’s less sun coming into the garden, and onto the greenhouse, so getting those cut will be on our list before the growing season starts next year.

How’s your garden coped this past month?

Reflecting on my week #97

This update actually covers two weeks as after a lazy day on the Bank Holiday, where I spent a good deal of time with my nose in my kindle and feeling listless about what to write, and even to pick up my crochet. So I treated myself to a couple of days away from here.

I also ended up taking a couple of days away from work as somehow I seemed to have picked up an infection. The over the counter medication definitely helped but I wasn’t convinced it was totally gone, so I booked a preemptive doctor’s appointment - the earliest available was today. I don’t know about you, but I’ve usually got a backup list of topics to talk to the doctor about, even if the original symptoms have resolved themselves. Though I’m not sure they actually have, so I’m glad I have my slot before work tomorrow.

So for a lot of the week, even when I went back to work, I was trying to take it easy and seriously up my water intake. That helped, and was much easier to do at home in a relaxed environment. I know that I need to keep this up at work, as I suspect my low water intake levels were a contributing factor.

Photo by Bino Le on Unsplash

Pair that with the warm weather, and I’m starting to think I’d missed a few warning signs. I am feeling much better, and even though I lost a couple of days in the office and so there’s work to catch up on, I’m also feeling inspired after an illuminating conversation with lasted three times the length it was supposed to.

I’m pleased that the temperatures are coming down a bit, I’ve realised that I’m not built to function normally in temperatures of thirty degrees plus, or actually even the very high twenties. Though they’ve also reminded me that I think my annual blood test check for my overactive thyroid is probably due, or overdue (another one for the doctors appointment!)

Since we went for a picnic in Greenwich Park much earlier in the summer I’ve been stalking these plates on the M&S website. At £14 they were more than I wanted to spend on something we’ll more than likely use a handful of times, there were other plates of course, but none that quite compared. Then suddenly, they were half price, and just as quickly they were in my basket, paid for and ready to collect.

I know MOH won’t like them, so he wasn’t consulted during any of this process. He can choose if he wants to eat off them, or from his hands, the next time we picnic. I think they’re gorgeous, and quite unlike the melamine plates I thought I’d find. I do need the weather to stay nice for a bit so we can use them though!

We’re off to a mediaeval banquet in October to celebrate a big birthday for my BIL. It looks great and it seems that our party is going in costume. There’s a local company that supplies and delivers costumes to the hotel, and I found a few that looked suitable. However, my concern is sizing and what you’d do if it didn’t fit, or was too long (quite likely) when it arrived.

So I’ve spent some time sourcing my own costume, and the current plan is to go as a mediaeval queen, kitted out in a burgundy outfit, with sleeves which I’m sure will drag along the ground. What’s funny though, and tickled me, is the uses for the costume, which included party wear, casual wear and office wear! The first one ok, but I suspect I won’t be wearing it for the other two, but then again, never say never, I guess…

This week is likely to bring another busy week, and one where I’ll be trying my best to keep up my newly discovered eating and drinking habits, though with a visit to the Greenwich Comedy Festival on Sunday evening it’s unlikely to last for the whole week.

But something is better than nothing in my book.