St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Straws

Ingredients

100g St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese, grated
A quarter of a tsp Isle of Skye Sea Salt
225g plain flour
150g cold butter
2tsps lemon juice
Approx. 6tbsps cold water

Method

• Add salt to flour and rub in 50g of the measured butter.
• Cut remaining cold butter into small cubes and drop into sieved flour.
• Add lemon juice, grated cheese and most of the water and mix gently together with a palette knife. Add remaining water as necessary.
• Tip this rather rough mass onto a floured surface and shape into a brick, using the palette knife or a rolling pin.
• Press gently/roll into a rough rectangle and fold over itself in thirds. Roll and fold three times more, making 4 rollings in all. During baking these thin layers of butter melt and are absorbed by the flour creating lovely flakes of pastry.
• Finally roll out pastry and cut in lengths for cheese straws, or shape as you wish.
• Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment at 220 C (Gas No7) for approx. 15mins until the straws are a rich golden hue.

Serve warm or cold and they freeze beautifully so can be made well in advance.

Recipe kindly donated by Wendy Barrie – Scottish Food Guide & Scottish Cheese Trail