By popular request …

… came the next appetiser Parmesan biscuits which I've served a time or two for friends – these biscuits are perfect to serve with drinks. It also seemed like a good idea to include the biscuits since when making the dough it does look like a little piece of magic!

Parmesan biscuits

Makes 25-30

100g cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

pinch salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 heaped tsp mustard powder

50g finely grated mature cheddar cheese

50g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to decorate

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 180c/160fan/Gas 4.

Place the butter and flour into a food processor with the salt, cayenne, mustard powder and cheeses. Process together then pulse the mixture in short spurts until you notice the mixture coming together. It will eventually bind without the need for egg or water. Tip the mixture onto a sheet of cling film and use the cling film to bring it together into a round. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Leaving longer will do no harm.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry thinly. Cut out the biscuits in shapes to suit the occasion. Lay them on a greased or non stick baking tray – 2cm apart. You'll need two trays.

Brush the surface with egg and sprinkle over a little of the finely grated parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Use a palette knife to ease the biscuits off the tray and place on a rack to cool. They will keep for a few days – good luck with that!

Thank you Simon Hopkinson – you're a genius!

It does exactly what is says on the tin and here's what they look like :

I promise you you'll never make cheese straws again – not that there is anything at all wrong with cheese straws, she says, hurriedly. These biscuits are just beyond delicious but the “parmesan on the top of the biscuit” is they are so easy to make – sorry for the bad, bad pun but “cherry on the top” didn't work somehow!