Cook the diced bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on paper towel and let cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 220°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Blend the cottage cheese and milk together (a stick blender or small food processor works well) until smooth and creamy.

In a large bowl, mix the blended cottage cheese mixture with the honey and melted butter.

Fold in the cooled cooked bacon, shredded cheddar and spring onion (or chives) until evenly combined.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. The dough will look crumbly and slightly dry — that's fine at this stage.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Using floured hands, press the dough together into a rough, cohesive mass — don't overwork it, or the biscuits will turn out dense rather than flaky.

Pat the dough into a rough rectangle about 2 cm thick.

Fold one short end into the centre, then fold the other end over the top, like folding a letter. This simple lamination step is what creates the flaky, distinct layers in the finished biscuits.

Pat the dough out again into a rectangle about 2 cm thick and repeat the letter-fold once more.

Pat the dough into a final rectangle about 2 cm thick to pack the layers together.

Cut the dough into 6–9 biscuits and arrange them on the prepared tray, almost touching each other — this encourages them to rise up rather than spread out.

Brush the tops with the milk.

Bake for 20–30 minutes (smaller biscuits will bake faster), until the tops are lightly golden and the centres feel set and springy when gently pressed.

Cool on the tray for 10 minutes before serving.