There is nothing better than biting into a warm scone on a frosty winter day, and this tasty savoury snack is incredibly easy to make at home yourself.

Whether you are looking for a delicious appetiser for Christmas or simply want to try out a fun recipe, Mary Berry’s cheese and cranberry scones could not be easier to make.

This simple recipe only takes around 10 minutes to prepare before the scones go in the oven for eight minutes, meaning they can quickly be made from scratch in 20 minutes.

In her cookbook ‘Mary Makes It Easy’, Mary shared that the secret to making delicious winter scones is to make sure not to overwork the dough, as it can lead to tough and chewy scones.

Mary said: “Tiny bite-sized herb and cheese scones, these are topped with Dolcelatte. Don’t handle the dough too much or it will become tough. If you can’t find Dolcelatte, you could use Stilton instead.”

Method

To begin, preheat the oven to 200C (Fan 180C or Gas Mark 6) and then line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Pour the flour, baking powder, and butter into a bowl. Rub the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the parmesan cheese, mustard powder and sage and give the mixture a good stir. Then, season with salt and pepper.

Add the milk and beaten egg to a separate bowl. Combine the flour mixture with the milk and eggy mixture.

Bring the mixture together with your hands until you have a soft dough. Gently place the dough onto a floured counter surface and knead it until it is one to two centimetres thick.

Cut the dough into rounds using a three-centimetre cutter, and roll the dough out when needed to cut out more. You should be able to make around 35 mini scones.

Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with milk. Then cook the scones in the oven for roughly eight minutes until they have fully risen and are a pale golden colour.

Once ready, take out the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Then slice each scone in half and spread some Dolcelatte cheese on top of each one.

Place the scones in the oven again for around two to three minutes to let the cheese melt. Then, take out the oven and add a little cranberry sauce and a small parsley leaf.

Your mouthwatering cheese scones will be ready to serve and are best eaten when still warm and fresh out of the oven.