One day soon it will feel like spring, and when it does you should bake these. I did, a few weeks ago, when sunlight pouring into the kitchen and a jug of brightly coloured blooms tricked me into thinking winter was on the way out.
I like simple, no-fuss baking best. Cakes, buns or biscuits that can be rustled up with ease from ingredients I always have to hand.These might not look like much – they’re essentially a scone infused with honey – but I can confirm they are delightfully moreish and the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea. I suspect they would be good smeared with salty butter, but I’m yet to test this theory.

The recipe is taken from a pretty pink book called The Best of Mrs Beeton’s Cakes & Baking. It’s a rather plain looking collection of recipes, devoid of photographs and perhaps a little uninspiring to the naked eye, but closer inspection reveals a wonderful array of classic, comforting treats. Things like Parkin, Old English Cider Cake, Treacle Tart and Hot Cross Buns, to name but a few.

This batch of cakes was slipped into the oven while the children were on their way home from school with their father. I hope that when they’re grown they’ll have fond memories of coming home to warm Honey Buns laid out on the kitchen counter.

You will need:

Fat for greasing {optional}

200g self-raising flour

pinch of salt

75g butter or margarine

25g caster sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp liquid honey

2 tbsp milk

1. Grease 18-20 bun tins or arrange an equivalent number of paper cake cases on baking sheets. Set the oven at 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter/margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

3. Put the egg into a jug and add the honey and milk. Mix well. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

4. Divide the mixture between the prepared bun tins or paper cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Love Audrey xxx