Variety shortbread!

Shortbread doesn't have to be boring. This tasty mixture can be used to make plain shortbread or you can add some different flavours to make it interesting. Try lemon and thyme, almond or stem ginger shortbread. I don't know why the ginger ones turned out smaller, it maybe that I made the roll smaller, or it could be because it was on a lower shelf in the oven and didn't spread so much. They all taste good.

Many of the newer recipes for shortbread start with creaming the butter and sugar. The recipe uses the "rubbing in" method because that's what I am used to. Feel free to try the creaming method!

Chop 375g cold butter and add to 375g plain flour and 190g semolina in a large mixing bowl. Rub in well. Mix in 190g caster sugar.

Divide the mixture into 3 smaller bowls.

• To the first bowl, add the grated rind of a lemon and a squeeze of the juice, plus the leaves from a handful of fresh thyme.

• To the second bowl, add two tablespoons of ground almonds two tablespoons of flaked almonds ( I used toasted ones), and a dash of almond essence (optional).

• To the third, add a tablespoon of powdered ginger and three chopped pieces of stem ginger (from a jar of ginger in syrup).

Squeeze the mix firmly in each bowl to form a dough and then knead gently. Then shape each ball into a sausage slightly smaller than the diameter you want your biscuits to be, wrap in cling film, and chill in the fridge for an hour.

Pre-heat the over to 150C. With a sharp knife, cut each sausage of dough into slices just under 1cm thick and place on greased and floured baking sheets. Bake for 30 mins (they should be lightly browned). Cool before serving. Enjoy.

These biscuits will keep for a few days, if you hide them away in an airtight container, or for a few weeks in the freezer.