Hello and welcome to a new Mother Cooker, one where I will be concentrating on ingredients that are in season. Each month I will pick from a few things that are in season and make multiple recipes with them. Showing you variety and helping you to cut down on waste, save money and eat the best seasonal ingredients. This month we are starting with blackberries, something you can pick up for free if you have time to go and forage them from hedgerows. Be sure to wash them in a diluted vinegar solution before cooking or eating, so as to remove any nasties. I do this with all berries, particularly foraged ones. Today we are kicking off with blackberry scones, a recipe I tested over and over again to get right. I'm happy with the balance, not too sweet, just right in my opinion.

I have used self raising flour in this blackberry scone recipe, as I often find with plain, you have to compensate with a lot of baking powder. This tends to leave that film on the back of your teeth and I am not really in to that. I've tried to pair down the sugar as the blackberries more than make up for it. You can either make a batch of smaller scones like I did or you can use a bigger cutter and make four larger ones, it's completely up to you. All that will differ is the amount of cooking time required.

Blackberries can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and are a very versatile ingredient. They go amazingly well with cheese, can be blitzed in to a vinaigrette or even used to make cocktails. All of which may be coming your way soon enough. I am sincerely passionate about dedicating myself to using seasonal ingredients. Especially as I am a gardener and grow that way too. I'm hoping that a lot of these recipes (especially next year) will be with food I have grown myself.

Blackberry Scones

Serves: 6

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 12-14 mins (for small) 14-16 mins (for large)

Ingredients

8oz of self raising flour (250g)
2oz sugar (50g)
2oz butter (50g)
Quarter pint of milk (any)
2oz blackberries (50g)
1oz raisins (25g)
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Method

Add butter to flour, salt and baking powder and rub together until crumbly.
Add sugar and fruit, making sure that large blackberries are halved and smaller ones are left whole.
Slowly add your milk, a splash at a time (you might not need the whole amount).
Mix together with a large knife until it just comes together, you don't want it too sticky.
Tip on to a floured surface, working as little as possible, push together until firm. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for 15 mins.
Once rested, flatten out on a floured surface to about 6cm in depth.
Press your scone mould in firmly, remove scone on to a baking tray lined with non stick baking paper. Repeat until all mixture is used up. You can press left over bits together it means you can get another scone out of it.
Brush the tops with a little milk or oil.
Pop in the oven on 200/220c/gas mark 7/8 for allotted time ( see above).