Lazy Sunday: Cheese Scone Wreath

We’re getting in the Christmas spirit with this delicious pull-apart cheese scone wreath, the perfect sharing dish to enjoy this season. A simple and tasty recipe to have up your sleeve for those festive parties, Lurpak’s oozing cheddar scones are best served warm with olives and a generous smothering of butter.

Pull-apart Cheese Scone Christmas Wreath

Makes 1 wreath, plus about 6 extra scones

Preparation time:
20 minutes

Cooking time:
15 minutes

Ingredients
450g self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
110g chilled Lurpak butter, cut into pieces
300g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
1 large egg
200ml milk, plus extra for brushing
Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
Olives, to serve

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 220°C/ fan oven 200°C/ Gas Mark 7. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

2) Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped rosemary and stir it in. Rub in the chilled Lurpak with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in about three-quarters of the cheese.

3) Beat the egg and milk together, then stir it into the mixture with a knife. Bring the dough together with your hand, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few moments until smooth.

4) Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3cm, then use a small (3-4cm) cutter to stamp out the scones, re-rolling the dough as necessary. Arrange 15-16 scones an overlapping circle on one baking sheet. Put any remaining scones on the second baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden.

5) Leave to cool for a few minutes. Garnish the wreath with rosemary sprigs and serve while warm, with olives and extra Lurpak.

Cook’s tip: When cutting out the scones, avoid twisting the cutter – this will help them to rise better.