i learned this from my dad, who in turn learned it from his mother. i never met her and don't know where she learned it but i do have a '70s-ish scottish cookbook (A Taste of Scotland in Food and Pictures by Theodora Fitzgibbon) that contains it so suspect that's where

• 2 cups / ~220 g mashed potatoes
• ²/₃ cups / ~70 g flour (either plain or self-raising)
• 3 tbsp melted butter or (ideally) pork/bacon fat
• ¹/₂ tsp salt

1. Add fat and salt to mashed potatoes
   
   mashed potatoes
   butter or fat (melted)
   salt
   
2. Add flour till it stops taking it up. Listed as 70 g, probably not anywhere near that amount. Mix by hand and keep adding (stop before it gets too dry).
   
   flour
   
3. Press or roll into rounds of desired size - e.g., around 6-7 inch diameter, then quartered; or, 3-4 inch diameter circles.
4. Prick all over with a fork and cook in a bit of butter or fat over medium-high heat till golden. When taking off the heat, prevent sogginess either by using a cooling rack or sandwiching each scone in kitchen roll.

• Amounts as written in the book (to make approximately 3 large cakes or 12 farls), but i don't ever bother measuring this - just use leftover mash from a meal and then add however much flour etc you need
• Works well enough with leftover and pre-made / shop-bought mash. If making your own mash, quarter some white potatoes and boil till soft then mash till smooth
• Serve with butter, honey, or syrup (according to the book) or tomato sauce (according to my family). Great for a proper cooked breakfast.

Suggested by the book: add 1 cup grated cheese and 2 beaten eggs to the mash, shape, dip in breadcrumbs, and then shallow-fry in oil till golden.