Anni's Lavender Scones

This is an interesting recipe as it involves a fairly rare cooking ingredient, lavender. However, Anni has asked me to point out that you must only ever use edible culinary lavender. We source ours from Shropshire Lavender of Wellbank Farm, Pickstock, Shropshire, TF10 8AH, www.shropshirelavender.co.uk or call them 01952 550303. (The lavender fields are open from June onwards.)

First heat your oven to 180c (or the equivalent for your oven).

Ingredients 225g self raising flour
50g butter
50g caster sugar
130 to 140ml milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
50g of fruit (This can be either sultanas, cherries, mixed fruit, raisins, chopped apricots, chopped prunes, etc)
2 teaspoons of culinary lavender
1 teaspoon of culinary lavender oil.

Place the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, rub in the butter 'til it resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the fruit and the sugar, the lavender flowers  and the lavender.

Make a hollow in the middle of the mixture, then place the milk in the hollow.

Stir the mixture well, turning it into a soft dough.

Then place the lump of dough onto a lightly floured board.

Knead until it is nice and smooth. Flatten it out into a round shape (use your hands or you can roll it out) until it is about 1.5cm thick. Then use a biscuit cutter to make the rounds.

Place the rounds onto a greased baking tray and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until they are a golden colour.

Remove from the oven and serve hot with butter straight from the fridge.

You can add jam, honey or marmalade should you wish.