Strawberry shortcakes

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
• A pinch of salt
• 25 g (1 oz) ground almonds
• 125 g (41/2 oz) butter
• 60 g (2 oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 egg yolk

To decorate

• 150 ml (10 fl oz) double cream
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 250 g (9 oz) strawberries, 3 reserved and the remainder sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a baking tray.

Sift the flour and salt together and mix in the ground almonds.

Cream the butter and sugar together and add the egg yolk. Work in the flour and almond mixture using your fingers to make a fine dough.

Roll the mixture out on a lightly floured surface to about 4 mm (1/4 inch) thick and cut out 12 x 7 cm (23/4 inch) rounds using a fluted cutter and re-rolling as needed.

Place on the prepared tray, sprinkle with a little caster sugar and bake for 8–10 minutes. Leave to go cold.

Whip the cream, adding the sugar, and pipe a rosette on top of six of the biscuits. Fold the sliced strawberries into the remaining cream and spoon on top of the remaining biscuits. Add the rosette-topped biscuits and decorate each with half a strawberry.

The Women's Institute Vintage Teatime, compiled by Jessica Simmons, is published by Simon & Schuster