Nigel Slater's Warm Pumpkin Scone

Soft, warm and floury, cooked initially in a frying pan and then finished in the oven.

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   Cut the pumpkin into large chunks and steam until tender enough to mash. Set the oven to 200C/gas 6.
   Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and rub it in with your fingertips. You could do this in a food processor, but it hardly seems worth the washing up.
   Crush the pumpkin with a potato masher, then beat in the egg, followed by the milk and thyme leaves. Scoop this into the flour mixture and mix well. Season with black pepper.
   Warm a heavy, nonstick frying pan with a metal handle over a low to moderate heat. Melt a little oil or butter in it, then pile in the dough and smooth it flat. Leave to cook over a low heat till the underside is pale gold.
   Lightly oil a dinner plate. Loosen the underside of the scone with the help of a palette knife. Put the plate over the top of the pan, then, holding the plate in place, tip the pan so that the scone falls on to the plate. Slide the scone back into the frying pan and cook the other side for four or five minutes. Put the pan in the oven for 7 minutes or until the scone is lightly set in the middle.
   Turn the scone out of the pan and slice into thick wedges. Serve warm, with cheese and some grilled bacon.