So, today’s post was originally supposed to be something COMPLETELY different. My folks are on holiday at the minute, so I had one of my good friends from the Northampton College days to stay. She’s a pescatarian who has given up cheese for lent like an insane person. What a wonderful excuse to cook up a Salmon and Prawn Linguine!

I did just that, and it was delicious, HOWEVER we had already both consumed a reasonable amount of wine BEFORE cooking, so not only did I fail to make a note of exactly what I did, but I even forgot to put a few things in! Not one for the food blog.

So today was hangover day with Adele, and a fine day it was! We made the most of this wonderful village I now live in on what was a beautiful sunny day! We walked over fields, fed horses, sheep and ducks, found a thrilling obstacle course in Itchycoo Park (actually called Cotton Park) and ended it all with a nice salady lunch and cold drinks in the garden!

Suddenly, it’s Sunday evening and the return to reality must ensue. I’m loving my new job, but there are a few early starts that I’m adjusting to! Depending on which week you’re on, you will either start at 9:30, 8:30 or, God help me, 7:30. I should be on the late start this week, however everyone is on holiday so I’m covering some earlies!

I’m not bad with mornings, but I can suck at breakfast. I don’t tend to feel ready for it until I’m halfway to work and end up snacking on biscuits until lunch. Not healthy, and in no way wise with my Sister’s wedding round the corner! A breakfast-on-the-go would really save the day here! Solution? STRAWBERRY AND BANANA BREAKFAST SCONES!!

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 75g of dried strawberries cut into dainty pieces (they’re sticky little buggers, easier to cut up with scissors)
• 350g of self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 85g of butter
• 3 tablespoons of caster sugar
• 175ml of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• A squeeze of lemon juice

Ok, Breakfast Scones, LET’S GET ON IT.

1. Preheat oven to 220. Smush up your banana in a bowl. Then add it to a measuring jug and fill milk to the 175ml level. So I guess the ingredient list is a bit of a lie, because you’re not actually using 175ml of milk at all, you’re using 175ml of milk MINUS whatever ml your smushed up banana is equivalent to. That make sense? …Good.

2. Put your flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl and combine. Add your butter and patiently rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and your strawberry pieces.

3. Put your bananamilk in the microwave and heat for about 30 seconds. Add your vanilla extract and lemon juice and leave for a minute or so. If it looks completely disgusting, you’ve done everything right.

4. Make a well in your mixture and pour your digustingbananamilktime in. Combine everything rapidly using a butter knife. It will seem wet at first, but come together nicely.

5. Dump from the bowl onto a floured surface and pat down into a round about 3cm high. Place a baking sheet in the oven now.

6. You may be the kind of scone make to use a cutter, but I personally like to keep things incredibly simple (and also I don’t have a scone cutter). Use a knife and cut rectangles from your dough. Place on your hot baking sheet then pop in the oven. They cook in just 10-15 minutes so keep an eye on them!

Done! Plate up and then spend the rest of the evening reminding yourself that they are SUPPOSED to be for breakfast for the next WEEK, and are not all to be consumed IMMEDIATELY. But you may have one now. Just one…

Come to me…