Chai carrot scones

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Line a large, flat baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.

Finely grate the carrot using the smaller-holed side of a box grater. You should be left with around 150g. Place the grated carrot in a sieve and squeeze slightly to remove excess water, leaving to drain for a few mins. For the chai element, split the cardamom pods and remove the seeds inside. Crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar or use the end of a rolling pin to press them down in a small bowl.

In a large bowl or food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice, crushed cardamom seeds and sugar. Rub the cubed butter in with your fingers or pulse in a food processor until you get a fine, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the grated carrot and mix it in so that you don’t have any large clumps of carrot. Swiftly stir through the milk and bring the dough together with your hands then lightly knead for a couple of mins until it forms a ball. Try not to overwork the dough.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour, then tip out the dough and roll into a 20cm circle. Transfer to the lined baking tray, then use a large knife to cut into 8 triangles but don’t pull them apart. Brush each one with the beaten egg. Bake for 25–30 mins or until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool completely. Carrots give these scones their moist texture, so don’t worry if they’re softer than normal scones once baked.

In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, orange juice and half of the zest. Use a tsp to drizzle the icing over each triangle. Sprinkle over the remaining zest as a final touch.