Fiona Ravenscroft's scones came in at second in our 'fit for a King competition'.
She says: ‘When I think about The Coronation, I think of celebratory afternoon tea. But that leads to the debate of whether cream or jam should go first - let’s go savoury instead! I developed these scones using Hampshire watercress, Somerset Montgomery cheddar and a touch of English mustard powder. Topped with Scottish salmon which has been poached gently with fresh garden herbs and wine made from the vines leading down to the River Dart.’
watercress, finely chopped, plus extra sprigs to garnish
100g
mature Cheddar, grated
150ml
buttermilk, plus extra to brush
For the poaching liquid
Handful parsley
2
bay leaves
Small handful thyme sprigs
1
onion, finely sliced
1
carrot, roughly chopped
1
leek, trimmed and finely sliced
200ml
English white wine
15
black peppercorns
For the topping
4
salmon fillets, see intro
300ml
double cream
Finely grated zest 1 lemon
1/4tsp.
cayenne pepper
3Tbsp.
finely chopped chives
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. For the scones, in a food processor pulse the flour, baking and English mustard powders, the cayenne pepper and a large pinch of fine salt until combined. Alternatively mix in a large bowl. Add the butter and pulse/rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Step 2Add the watercress and 75g Cheddar and briefly pulse/mix. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse/mix with a cutlery knife to make sticky dough.
Step 3Tip on to a lightly floured work surface and gently pat out to 2cm thick. Dust a 6cm round (fluted or plain) cutter with flour and use to stamp out 8-10 rounds, re-patting trimmings together as needed.
Step 4Arrange on the lined sheets, spacing slightly apart. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle over remaining 25g cheese. Bake for 20min, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5Meanwhile, make the poaching liquid. Tie the herbs together in a bunch with kitchen string. Add to a wide, shallow pan (that has a lid) and will hold the salmon in a single layer (but don’t add the salmon just yet). Add the remaining ingredients and just cover with cold water. Sprinkle in 2tsp salt. Cover and bring to the boil over high heat, then bubble for 10min to help the flavours infuse.
Step 6Reduce heat to low and add the salmon, nestling it into the liquid (skin-side down). Simmer gently for 5-10min, or until the salmon is just cooked through. Lift salmon on to a board and leave to cool completely.
Step 7In a large bowl, whip the double cream, lemon zest, cayenne pepper and some seasoning until the mixture just holds its shape. Add the chives and flake in the salmon (discard skin, if present). Using a large metal spoon, fold in until combined. Check seasoning.
Step 8To serve, split the scones and top each 1/2 with salmon mixture. Garnish with watercress and serve.
GET AHEAD:
Bake scones and poach salmon up to a day ahead. Once cool, keep scones in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and chill salmon. To serve, reheat scones in an oven preheated to 180°C fan (160°C fan) mark for a few min (ideally on a steam setting, or with a roasting tin of water in the base to create steam). Complete recipe.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
