Bay and pink peppercorn shortbread

I’ve given my classic shortbread recipe an upgrade with two different flavourings: bay and pink peppercorns. These are great for serving when guests drop in for a cup of coffee or for wrapping up and gifting.

MAKES 12 OF EACH VARIETY

★ 2 bay leaves, ideally fresh but dried will do

★ 100g caster sugar, plus ★ 1tbsp extra 1tbsp pink peppercorns

★ 130g softened butter

★ 260g plain flour

★ 80g rice flour (or replace with more plain flour)

1 Begin by removing and discarding the centre stem from the bay leaves. Place the leaves in a spice grinder with the tbsp sugar and grind to a fine powder. Set aside. Grind the pink peppercorns to a slightly more coarse powder.

2 Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/ gas mark 3. Beat together the butter and remaining sugar in a large mixing bowl. Transfer half the mixture to another bowl. Add the ground bay to one bowl and the ground peppercorns to the other and mix well.

3 Divide the flours equally between the two bowls and fold in to form a dough. If it looks a bit dry, add a little more butter.

4 Wrap the doughs in clingfilm, flatten out into discs and chill for around 30min.

5 Roll each of the doughs out, one at a time, onto a lightly floured surface to around 1cm thick and cut into rounds. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for about 30min until cooked, but not browned.

6 Transfer to a rack to cool completely, then to an airtight container. Serve on plates or arrange in gift boxes.