Say Cheese Muffins

Light, luscious muffins were never my strong point until I started making Nigella's chocolate muffins in Feast and people fell upon them like they were the best thing they'd ever eaten. But there are only so many times you can eat a chocolate muffin and I despaired of making a decent savoury one until I found this recipe. It's by Alison Holst, who is a sort of more mumsy New Zealand version of Delia but less patronising and more like a benign next door neighbour/grandma. I've added smoked paprika to these and used yoghurt for some of the milk, but otherwise I wouldn't dream of tampering with Alison's gospel. These are too good not to try.

Say Cheese Muffins

200g grated cheddar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 210C and grease either a 12-hole mini muffin tin or about eight holes of a standard size muffin tin. Put the cheese in a large bowl and sift in the dry ingredients. Toss to combine. In another bowl, beat the egg, yoghurt and milk together. Pour this wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold together until only just combined. Do not over mix! Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 10 minutes, until the muffins spring back when pressed in the middle and are golden brown. Sit back and wait for the compliments to roll in.