Grandmas Garden Lavender Shortbread

The Victorian language of flowers was known as 'Floriography'. Lavender signified devotion but also distrust, so be careful who you share these with...

I can't make enough of these to keep up with the demand. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it.

The fragrance of lavender drifting around your kitchen will invoke feelings of nostalgia. Be transported to that English country garden you've dreamt about...

Note: With experience comes good judgement of measurements. I like to throw a bit of this there, and a bit of that there, and adjust to taste. Baking is an adventure; play with it and follow your own tastebuds. Don't feel bound to exactly what I say here.

Ingredients

* 350g softened butter
* 125g caster sugar
* 4 tablespoons of icing sugar
* 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh lavender
* 325g plain flour

1. Preheat oven to 170 C. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, caster sugar and icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the flour into this mixture until well blended. Be prepared for arm ache if doing manually.

2. I prefer to wait until this point to add my fresh lavender, as I don't like to bash the flowers around too much. Add your 2 tablespoons (that will be more than enough, trust me) and mix in until distributed. Add slightly less for just a hint of lavender, if preferred.

3. Take the dough, bang it onto some lightly floured parchment paper on your work surface, then get those hands dirty; flattening that bad boy to about 2.5cm thick. You may use a rolling pin. The secret (go forth and spread) is not to roll the dough too thinly. Dough too sticky to work with? Add more flour.

4. Cut into shapes with scone or biscuit cutters. My preference is hearts. You want to make them into something else? Be my guest. They do not have to be a perfect, uniform shape. I don't know about you, but part of the charm for me is that home-made look, and those slightly uneven edges...

5. Place onto a baking tray, complete with lightly greased parchment paper. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until biscuits begin to brown at the edges. Each and every oven is different, so get acquainted with yours.

6. Cool before eating (although I can rarely follow this advice) and sprinkle with caster sugar.