Anna Louise I have made a lot of savoury scones over the years — the cheese and chive version on this site, the plain cheese version, several experiments with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs — and this cheese and bacon combination is the one that disappears fastest without exception.
The crispy smoked bacon gives a saltiness and a smokiness that plain cheese scones cannot match. The mature Cheddar gives sharpness and those pockets of melted, slightly caramelised cheese throughout the crumb that make a cheese scone specifically wonderful. Together they give a scone that is genuinely difficult to stop eating.
The technique is identical to every other scone recipe on this site — cold butter, minimal working of the dough, a very hot oven, and never twisting the cutter. Those four things give scones that rise dramatically and have a tender, open crumb.
The bacon must be cooked until crispy before it goes in — not just cooked, but properly golden and crispy so it gives texture and flavour rather than a slightly soft, slightly chewy addition to the dough.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Cheese and Bacon Scones
For the Scones (Makes about 10–12)
- 450g self-raising flour, sifted — plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 100g unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 175g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated — 150g for the dough, 25g for the tops
- 150g smoked bacon lardons or 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon — cooked until crispy and cooled
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 150ml whole milk — plus a little extra for brushing
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely snipped (optional — gives freshness alongside the smokiness)
How to Make Mary Berry Cheese and Bacon Scones
Step 1 — Cook the Bacon
This step must be done first and the bacon must be completely cool before going into the dough. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat — no oil needed. Add the bacon lardons or rashers and cook for six to eight minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply golden and properly crispy. The fat should be rendered and the edges slightly caramelised.
Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Cool completely. If using rashers, chop roughly into 1cm pieces once cool.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
Step 3 — Make the Scone Dough
Sift the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, cayenne, and salt into a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter. Rub quickly and lightly with fingertips — lifting and rubbing — until fine breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Work quickly.
Add 150g of the grated Cheddar, the cooled crispy bacon pieces, and the snipped chives if using. Toss with a fork to distribute everything evenly through the crumb.
Step 4 — Add the Liquid
Beat the eggs and milk together in a small jug. Reserve two tablespoons for the top. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in almost all the egg and milk. Mix quickly with a round-bladed knife in cutting strokes until a soft, slightly sticky dough just comes together. Add the remaining liquid only if the dough seems dry.
Stop the moment the dough coheres. Every additional mix develops the gluten and toughens the crumb.
Step 5 — Pat, Cut and Glaze
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat — not roll — to a thickness of exactly 3cm. Dip a 6cm straight-sided round cutter in flour. Press straight down and lift straight up — never twist. Place on the prepared tray with a little space between each. Gather trimmings gently once, pat together, and cut again.
Brush the tops only with the reserved egg and milk — not the sides. Scatter a little of the reserved 25g Cheddar over each scone top.
Step 6 — Bake
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until well risen, deeply golden from the egg wash and the melted Cheddar, and firm when pressed gently on the top.
Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm — ideally within thirty minutes of baking.
My Top Tips For Best Cheese and Bacon Scones
Cook the bacon until genuinely crispy — not just cooked. This is the most important instruction in the recipe. Barely cooked, slightly soft bacon gives texture without flavour and loses what little crispiness it has during baking. Deeply golden, properly crispy bacon gives flavour, texture, and keeps its character in the finished scone. Take the extra two minutes.
Cool the bacon completely before adding to the dough. Warm bacon melts the surrounding butter in the crumb and changes the way the dough comes together. Cool bacon mixes in cleanly as a distinct ingredient.
The mustard powder and cayenne are invisible but essential. They amplify the Cheddar and the bacon without making the scone taste of mustard or chilli. Without them the scone tastes pleasant. With them it tastes specifically, compellingly of cheese and bacon.
Coarsely grated Cheddar gives the best result. Coarse grating gives identifiable pockets of cheese that melt into distinct pools during baking. Fine grating gives flavour but no texture. Use the coarse side of the grater.
Scatter extra Cheddar on each scone top before baking. This gives a particularly golden, slightly caramelised cheese crust on every scone — the most appealing aspect of a cheese scone and worth the thirty seconds it takes.
Serving Suggestions
Split and spread with cold salted butter while still warm — the most natural thing in the world. With a bowl of soup alongside — these are the scones I make specifically to serve with tomato soup or the parsnip and apple soup on this site. At a picnic — they travel well and eat beautifully at room temperature. As part of a savoury afternoon tea spread.
How to Store Mary Berry Cheese and Bacon Scones
At room temperature: Best eaten within two hours of baking. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days — refresh in a 170°C oven for five minutes.
In the freezer: Freeze raw cut scones on a lined tray until solid — transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 220°C for 16 to 18 minutes.
Mary Berry Cheese and Bacon Scones Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Cook bacon lardons or rashers over medium-high heat 6–8 minutes until deeply golden and crispy. Cool completely on kitchen paper. Chop roughly if using rashers.
- Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Line a large tray with parchment.
- Sift flour, baking powder, mustard powder, cayenne, and salt. Rub in cold butter — fine crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces. Add 150g Cheddar, cooled crispy bacon, and chives — toss to distribute.
- Beat eggs and milk — reserve 2 tbsp. Make a well — add almost all liquid. Mix with a round-bladed knife until just combined. Do not overwork.
- Pat gently on a lightly floured surface to exactly 3cm. Dip 6cm cutter in flour — press straight down, never twist. Gather once — pat and cut again.
- Place on tray. Brush tops only with reserved egg and milk. Scatter reserved 25g Cheddar over each top. Bake 12–14 minutes until well risen and deeply golden. Serve warm within 30 minutes.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pancetta instead of bacon?
Yes — pancetta gives a slightly more Italian, slightly more delicate result. Smoked streaky bacon gives the most robustly flavoured, most specifically British scone.
Can I use Gruyère instead of Cheddar?
Yes — Gruyère gives a nuttier, more complex flavour and melts particularly smoothly. Use the same quantity and coarsely grate as directed.
Can I add sun-dried tomatoes?
Yes — 50g of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped, give a rich, slightly sweet depth that works very well alongside the bacon. Pat them dry thoroughly before adding.
Why are my cheese and bacon scones not rising?
The four most common causes: baking powder past its use-by date, dough patted too thin, cutter twisted rather than pressed straight, or oven not sufficiently preheated. All four are equally important — check each one.
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