Prep time:

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 40

60g Plain Sifted Flour

Salt, Cayenne Pepper

45g Cold Butter, diced

60g Parmesan Cheese, grated

1tsp Black Olives

For the Topping:

15g Parsley

2tbsp Pine Nuts

4tbsp Parmesan, grated

1 Garlic Clove

1tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Creamy Goat's cheese

Caroline Cowan from Brick House Farm now owns The Woolpack Hotel in Tenterden. She’s a great cook and hostess so we asked her to put together some mouthwatering morsels to kick start the winter party season with a culinary bang...

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C
  2. Place flour, pinch salt and cayenne, butter, Parmesan and 1tsp black olives in a food processor. Pulse to form a smooth dough.
  3. Roll out dough on a floured surface to a 0.5cm thickness. Stamp out 40 rounds with a 3.5cm pastry cutter. Place rounds on baking parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Bake until golden brown about 8 minutes. Cool completely before topping.

For the topping:

  1. Place all ingredients, apart from the goat’s cheese, in a food processor and pulse to a thick paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Use a teaspoon to top shortbreads with pesto and goat’s cheese. Serve at room temperature.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

You may also like

Butter bean & kale soup

A simple, but flavoursome and nutritious soup that looks and tastes luxurious. The blend of creamy butter beans, kale, and a hint of zesty lemon means it is actually really light and healthy – no cream in sight.

Hearty lentil, chorizo & tomato soup

Spice up a winter mealtime with this chunky, smoky soup. This recipe turns a mix of red lentils, chorizo, and tomatoes into a rich and filling dish.

Seasonal greens & Stilton soup

A healthy, but creamy vegetable soup, combining a seasonal mix of green vegetables with Stilton cheese. Adapt the recipe to suit whatever greens you have to hand. Use up the leftover Christmas Stilton or substitute with any strong blue cheese...