Preheat oven to 425F (Conventional) or 400F (Convection/Fan)

1. Grease or spray a sheetpan or line it with parchment.

Make the Fennel Salt:

1. Grind the fennel seed using a spice/coffee grinder, or placing the seeds in a plastic bag and rolling them with a rolling pin. Process the seeds but stop before it is a powder, ideally, you’d like to see some texture.
2. Divide the ground fennel seed in half. Mix one half with the sea salt crystals and set aside to sprinkle on scones before baking. The other half will go into the dough.

Make the Dough:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and ground fennel seed. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, cut in the pieces of butter until they are distributed, but may be of various sizes. Your mixture shouldn’t be dough-like at this point.
2. Mix in the cheese and chives, if using. Be sure it is evenly distributed.
3. Add the cream and stir to form a shaggy dough. I started with the 3/4 cup, but needed the extra 2 Tablespoons to make the dough come together. If you still have flour at the bottom of the bowl, feel free to add even a bit more to make the dough come together.
4. Pour the dough out onto a flour-covered surface, and pat into a circle 3/4” thick. It should be around 7” in diameter, or a bit more. Move the disk to the prepared pan, and cut in half. Then divide each half into 4 wedges. Pull the wedges apart a bit, so there is space between each.
5. Brush with a bit of cream, if desired for browning, then sprinkle with the reserved fennel salt.
6. Bake in preheated oven 22-24 minutes. Check the scones midway through. If they are browning quickly, reduce heat by 25 degrees. Scones will be done when they are nicely golden brown and are light and airy. Cool on the pan. Serve warm or room temperature with butter, if desired, or a small touch of honey.