RECIPE: Ham, pea and cheese muffins

I recently acquired the Hummingbird Bakery recipe book, "Cake Days" (more to come of how I did so in the next few weeks! It's more exciting than it sounds. Honest) and am very impressed. It's a huuuge book, so of course there are cupcake, cookie and traybake recipes galore, but there are also more unusual offerings such as various types of whoopie pies and savoury muffins.

Having never actually baked anything savoury, I decided to give the latter a try, so modified one of their recipes to create these babies! The Hummingbird Bakery say you should use feta cheese, but not being a big cheese girl, I went for Red Leicester. I imagine you could choose any cheese you want, depending on your preference, and if I was to make them again, I probably would use something a little stronger... Cheddar, perhaps.

They're really very delicious - and that means something coming from a girl with such a sweet tooth - especially warm from the oven (Mum and I devoured four between us pretty much straight after they were done!), and would be fab for breakfast, lunch, as a starter or for a snack at any time of the day. Mum spread hers with some Philly cheese which she loved. Just an option for ya. I imagine macho men who think baked good are too girly for them would feel these muffins are manly enough for them. Men like meat. And cheese. And beer but that's irrelevant.

The recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients
300g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
250ml milk
85g butter, melted
40g tinned or frozen (and defrosted) peas
60g sliced, cooked ham, cut into small pieces
40g cheese, grated or crumbled into small pieces

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C, Gas mark 5, and line a tin with muffin cases.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3. Measure the milk into a jug and then break in the eggs, stirring together until well combined and bright yellow.

the milk and eggs

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk and eggs mixture gradually, mixing together with a handheld electric whisk on a low speed. When all the ingredients have come together (don't worry if it seems really doughy and unlike cake batter), add the melted butter and mix together on a medium speed until the batter is smooth.

5. Add the peas, ham and cheese to the mixture and stir in with a spoon, making sure they are evenly dispersed throughout the batter.

6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases, filling them two-thirds full, and bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops of the muffins are nicely golden and springy to the touch - mine looked a bit like scones on top! Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack... And then devour!

pre-baking

I'd love to know if anyone has any ideas for variations or has made other types of savoury muffins!

et voila!