Nanny Skews’ Cheese Straws

When I heard today’s prompt cheese straws were the very first thing that popped into my head.  These simple pastry snacks are our family’s biggest Christmas tradition.  My paternal nan always made them when we were kids, then my mum taught me and now I’ve taught Caterpillar.  A couple of years ago we even had a blind taste test cheese straw off between me, my mum and sister in law to see who’s were best – so you can see we take our pastry quite seriously!  This is a really old, simple recipe that makes cracking straws every time.

What You Need

• 175g plain flour
• Half tsp mustard powder (optional)
• Half tsp salt
• 75g butter
• 100g mature cheddar cheese, finely grated
• Cold water to mix
• 1 beaten egg for glaze

What You Do

• Sift the flour, mustard powder & salt into a bowl
• Add the butter, cut into small cubs.  Rub into the flour with your fingertips until there are no lumps left and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs
• Stir in the cheese and add water, a few drops at a time, until you’re able to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes until smooth.
• Roll out on a floured surface until approx. 5mm thick and cut into strips or whatever shape you like (again, Caterpillar likes to get creative with his cutters for this).
• Transfer to a greased baking sheet and brush lightly with beaten egg
• Bake at Gas Mark 6 for around 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.