THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup old cheese

Piece of butter size of walnut.

Sour or sweet milk to make stiff batter

Drop on pan & bake in hot oven.

~I.M. Ferguson Recipe Book. Likely from the late 1800’s. This recipe was handwritten on the inside front cover of the personal recipe book of Mrs. Ferguson, who was the mother of Colonel Ferguson, my aunt Margie’s colleague when working for Canada’s National Historic Sites.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 Tb. butter
• ½ c. grated Old Cheddar Cheese
• 1 ¼ c. milk.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grease two baking sheets with butter.

Sift the flour and measure it.

Add the soda, cream of tartar and salt to the flour, and sift together in a mixing bowl.

Add the butter to the dry ingredients, and work it in, using the fingers, until the mixture has an even consistency of fine crumbs.

Add the grated cheese, and blend until it is evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.

Add the milk, and stir lightly with a fork until the batter is thoroughly moistened.

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the buttered baking sheets, leaving space between for expansion.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for approximately 12 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven, and serve immediately, while piping hot.

Yield:  2 dozen biscuits. 

These are light and flavourful.

A note from Patricia: I have always been a big fan of tea biscuits, especially the cheese variety, and so I was game to try these. Tea biscuits are quick to make, I’ve typically got all of the ingredients on hand, and there’s nothing better than a warm tea biscuit straight from the oven topped with butter or jam. I used 1:1 gluten free flour for this, and ate far too many in one sitting. However, you could enjoy these with a cup of tea, a bowl of soup or chili, or with a quiche. YUM!