Instructions: The basic scone. "To die for".

Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Very lighty grease a large baking sheet; set aside. Sift flour, baking poder and salt into a large bowl. With your fingers, rub in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in center of mixture; add milk and mix with a fork to make a dough that BARELY holds together (you may need to press dough together with your hands). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly just until smooth. Roll out with a floured rolling pin or pat dough with your hands to make a round about 3/4-inch thick. Cut in rounds with a 2-inch fluted or plain cookie cutter.

Arrange 1 to 1 1/2-inches apart on baking sheet; brush tops lightly with milk. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Split and serve warm with clotted cream (if you can get it!) or sweet butter or whipped cream, plus strawberry preserves.

Makes about 12 scones. VARIATIONS: Rich Oven Scones: Add 1 tablespoon sugar to the dry ingredients. In place of the 2/3 cup milk, use a mixture of 1 lightly beaten egg and 5 tablespoons milk.

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