Bacon & Leek Muffins

We get pretty bored here with either porridge or toast on the cold winter mornings so we decided to try a different recipe today. How about Bacon & Leek muffins hot out the oven for breakfast with butter melting in the middle? Chuck in the mixture when their alarms go and after they’ve washed and dress they have some gorgeous warm filling muffins to go to school, college or work on!

Ingredients

250g (9oz) plain flour

15ml (1tbsp) baking powder

50g (2oz) crispy bacon strips

50g (2oz) finely grated Parmesan or Cheddar

5ml (1tsp) dried mixed herbs

75g (3oz) chilled butter

1 large egg

175ml (6fl oz) milk

12-hole muffin tray

Half a leek (split vertically) finally chopped

Method

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Crumble the bacon strips into small pieces and stir into the bowl, adding the cheese, leeks and caraway seeds or mixed herbs. Use a cheese grater to coarsely grate the chilled butter and stir this into the flour mixture with a fork.

Beat the egg with the milk and stir into the bowl until the mixture is just blended. You don't need to mix too much - it should still look quite lumpy. Line the muffin tray with paper muffin cases and spoon the mixture into the cases. Top each with a little more grated cheese and a sprinkling of ground black pepper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400°C / 200°F / gas mark 6 for 20-25 mins until golden and risen and firm to the touch. Serve the muffins warm or cool on a wire rack. They're best eaten on the day of making.