Carrot Apple Ginger Soup and Cheddar Thyme Scones for a rainy day

It's been a grey and rainy day and maybe, possibly, I'm a little grumpy because I'm not feeling quite well.  Maybe.  So what do you eat when it's cold and wet and you're just maybe a little grumpy?  Soup of course!  And cheese scones don't hurt either.
The soup is a little spiced and quite fragrant from the ginger, and sweetly orange from the carrots.  And you know what else?  Healthy; it's really just vegetables and broth.  That's just a bonus though, I'd want to eat it even if it were somehow 90% butter.  And the scones...well they are approaching 90% butter I guess, but they're great so let's ignore that.  I love how easy they are, they smell marvelous, they look satisfyingly rustic and they taste exactly as you would want cheddar thyme scones too.  See, they're pretty great.  We ate them with a bit of butter and some thinly sliced ventricina salami.  I'm in a better mood now.

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup recipe from Joy the Baker.  I added a bit of thyme on top before serving.

Cheddar Thyme Scones

2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbs butter
1 cup whole milk  +  2 tbs extra
salt and pepper
2 tbs thyme leaves
3 oz shredded aged cheddar

• Preheat the oven to 220 C/415 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl, mix in a 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper.  Add the butter and mix til it looks like small coarse bread crumbs ( I usually use my hands).
• Mix in the thyme and grated cheese then stir in the milk.  mix til it comes together then take it out and knead it on a flour coated surface for 2 minutes or so.  It should be dense and not too sticky.  
• Roll out the dough and use a drinking glass to cut it into round.  Place the rounds on the baking sheet and brush them with the 2 tbs of extra milk.  Place sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or til the tops are slightly browned.

 I like these scones, they make me feel good about myself

Music to cook to : ♫ Brandy Alexander by Feist  (love, love, love this song)