An ideal solution to your winter afternoon tea cravings, these Christmas Pudding Scones are packed full of festive flavours and both quick and easy to make.
Imagine the horror of last-minute guests on their way and nothing freshly baked to offer them. Fear not, these scones can be made from store cupboard ingredients and whipped up in minutes.

Sift the flour, salt, and raising agents into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and spices.

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you can see no more lumps of butter and the mixture looks even and sandy.

Stir the cherries, peel, raisins, and almonds through the mix with your hand and create a well in the middle of the ingredients.

Pour buttermilk into the well that you have just made and dollop in the treacle. Form your hand into a claw shape and use this to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until a dough starts to form. The treacle will make this a sticky dough.

Once you have a lump of dough, tip out onto a floured worksurface and knead gently for a moment until it can be rolled out 1 inch thick.

Cut 12 scones from your dough with a 7cm cookie cutter and place spread evenly apart on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.
Brush the top of each scone with beaten egg and bake in a pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. These scones can be enjoyed as soon as they are cool enough to handle! Top with Apricot Brandy Butter for the perfect festive tea time treat.

To make the Apricot Brandy, beat the butter until pale and creamy.
Add sugar and 4tbsp of apricot brandy and beat until light and fluffy. A free-standing mixer makes this job a breeze.
You may wish to add more apricot brandy. The aim is to be able to taste the brandy and feel the warmth of the alcohol without making the butter too boozy.