Happy Things #2: Cheese Straws!

Happy Monday everyone and welcome to Monday Happy Things, your weekly boost of happiness courtesy of me!

This week something really simple has been making me super happy. You probably don't know this but I am an absolutely giant fan of cheese. I'm also a big fan of Hugh Fearnley - Whittingstall and have many of his cookbooks. I recently came across this recipe for cheese straws from The River Cottage Family Cook Book and it is literally the best thing ever. They're super simple, super fast to make and so yummy you'll have to make double quantities or they'll only last five minutes. We made them this week and ate every single one for lunch....

If you're dairy intolerant then I can understand how these wouldn't be a happy thing for you, but I'm going to call on my dairy and gluten free sister to attempt to make a gluten & dairy free version with sheep or goat's cheese and I'll update you on how that goes...

Here's the recipe. Give them a go, and thank me later!

I know, food photography is my absolutely speciality. I'm great at it...

Cheese Straws 

(from The River Cottage Family Cook Book by Hugh Fearnley - Whittingstall & Fizz Carr)

Makes 24 or so:

Mature Cheddar cheese, or a mix of cheddar and parmesan (or whatever strong hard cheese you want to use) 150g

Plain flour, 100g

Cayenne pepper (if you want, I left this out and just used black pepper)

Butter, 100g

Egg yolk

Black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7. Grease a baking sheet & cover with baking parchment
• Grate the cheese into a mixing bowl. Add flour, cayenne (if using) and black pepper. 
• Cut butter into cubes and rub it into the mixture with your fingers, pastry style. When the butter has almost disappeared into the flour and the mixture is crumbly, stir in the egg yolk with a butter knife. 
• Gather the pastry into a ball (it should come together very easily). Dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a rough square about 5mm thick. 
• With a sharp knife, cut the square into strips, then each strip into fingers. Lift them onto the lined baking sheet leaving a little space between each one. 
• Put the baking sheet in the oven for about 8 minutes but check after 5 or 6 as oven temperatures vary. They should be very pale golden brown. Leave them to sit for 5 minutes after they come out as they are very fragile, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. 

Eat all of them. Immediately. Or, you know, show some restraint and just have one... 

Have a great week everyone! I'll be back next week with another happy thing, and if you have one of your own you'd like me to feature in a future post be sure to fill in the form and let me know!