The Cheese Straws Recipe is a great way to use up any leftover pieces of hard cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
pinch of salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and diced
1oz (30g) strong Cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 large egg yolk, plus 1 egg extra,
beaten, for glazing
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Method:
1 Place the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl, or the bowl of a food processor.

2 Rub together with your fingertips or pulse-blend until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the Cheddar and mix in.

3 Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water and the mustard until combined. Add to the crumbs and bring it together to form a dough.

4 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

5 Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

6 When ready to cook, briefly knead the dough again. Roll the dough out to a 12 x 6in (30 x 15cm) rectangle; it should be 1⁄4in (5mm) thick. With a sharp knife, cut ½in (1cm) wide lengths along the shorter side.

7 Brush the strips of pastry with a little beaten egg. Holding the top of each strip, twist the bottom of the strip gently a few times to form spirals.

8 Place the straws on non-stick baking sheets, pressing down the ends if the spirals appear to be unwinding.

9 Bake in the top of the oven for 15 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

10 STORE The straws will keep in an airtight container for 3 days.

Cheese Straws Recipe