Strawberry ricotta scones

Chop 12 ounces of ripe strawberries and dry them on a lined baking sheet at 250F for about an hour; cool.

Whisk the flour with a quarter cup of granulated sugar, two teaspoons of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking soda and kosher salt.

Separate the chilled butter cubes, toss them in the flour and smash each one flat into a thin sheet between the fingertips, leaving a range of sizes.

Add a little cinnamon or fresh thyme leaves to the dry mixture to flavour it.

Make a well, pour in most of the buttermilk reserving a couple of tablespoons, and work it in with a fork until shaggy and crumbly.

Crumble in the strained ricotta.

Turn out onto a floured surface and lift the mixture and let it fall through the fingers to distribute the liquid without overworking it.

Pat together into a rectangle and roll to about half an inch thick.

Scatter about a third of the strawberries over half the dough, cut it in half and lift the bare half on top to enclose them.

Flour, turn and roll out again to about three quarters of an inch, scatter more strawberries on one side, cut and stack again.

If the dough gets too soft to handle, transfer to a lined sheet tray and rest it in the fridge about 10 minutes.

Roll the bundle out to a square, transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and press the leftover strawberries into the surface.

Freeze 20 minutes until firm while the oven preheats to 425F.

Cut the slab in quarters, then each square in half diagonally, for eight triangles.

Brush the tops with the reserved buttermilk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Space the scones on the baking sheet, put them into the 425F oven and turn it down to 400F.

Bake just over 25 minutes until golden brown, then cool 15 to 20 minutes and serve warm.