I've been making these scones for years -- first in sweet and later in savory versions.Try using cheddar, feta, swiss, blue or any other strong cheese. Use fresh parsley and thyme if you have them, otherwise use dried. I really like using dried onions in this particular recipe, but you can experiment, because the recipe is very friendly to adaptations. The amount of chilie pepper flakes is spot on because you don't want a hot-tasting scone. When you bit into an occasional pepper flake you get a flavor zing!