Method Spotlight: The Binding Method. Our first technique we’ll test the limits of, asking anyone listening “ Like, how crucial is this first step when baking with cold butter, really? Can we bend the rules? What are the consequences?” Click the image to find out more…

Vanilla Shortbread with Salted Almond recipe. A family favourite and our first success in bending the rules (shh no one knows anything)…

Highlander Shortbread!? Thanks for another blinder, bonny Scotland. Cheeky additional details to our beloved shortbread. New techniques, the same good times… Click on the recipe to get inspired…

This recipe is naughty, so easy and incredibly rewarding (we don’t reward kitchen naughtiness ENOUGH I say…. quietly so the rule-makers can’t hear me). Click the image for the recipe naughtiness…

We learnt the hard way that the rules of the Linzer cannot be messed with. This recipe is WELL worth the extra work (work being following the rules verbatim) …

Because who DOESN’T love a Bourbon Biscuit. Hand cut because we love ours with a side of mental anguish. (You can use a cutter, click the image to find out more??)

Binding butter and sugar to make CAKE!? PLOT TWIST. What am I talking about? Have I made something up completely? Click the image to find out more… (“Cheeky wink”)

Gluten-free, fuss-free and full of zest! Click on the image to see the binding method in full swing for top tier cake makery…

A very subtle nod back to my time spent cutting Battenberg sponge angrily at 7am for many years (“why can’t you cut them perfectly Catherine!!”. This one is way less stress inducing and a natural two tone chocolate hazelnut affair. (I do so miss the marzipan though…)

Method Spotlight: The Sanding Method. Our old reliable friend, we all know and love them. But are we using it to it’s full capacity? How can we push our friend to their limit? (I’m talking about making cake with this recipe, it’s cool, we won’t abuse our friend I promise) Click on the image to find out more… (Will our friend survive!?)

I love scones, you love scones. We all love scones until they’re… nope I won’t make that joke, we’re better than that. But are we better than these scones?

A bake to remind me on ‘me Nan’. Why do we shun the old school classics so much when they can teach us so much! These are humble yet delicious.

Ahhh the great philosophical debate, “what’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?”.

Will this recipe help us towards the answer or will we just make a tasty mini cake? Click on the image if you’re feeling deep (or fancy learning how to make an ‘express ganache’ while we’re here…

What the Buck is a Fuckle!? Click on the image to find out… I don’t know, may sound delicious enough you’ll end up making it.

(My family of sceptics LOVED this one)

JAMMY DODGERRRR But yeah why not marble the dough with jam for some extra fun (optional added fun, of course). This is another excellent and easy use of that Binding method which I’ve basically not mentioned at all in these intros…

I put some Thyme (and some even more time) into these, neighbours thought it was weird. GREAT recipe format though. Click to find some of your own time (thyme) well spent….

No section is complete without a cheeky custard-based tart recipe. Another excuse to marble two mixtures together to save on presentation time. The Cocoa pastry is also a nice recipe to use elsewhere too, am I selling this at all? Just let’s make the darn custard tart shall we? Click to find out….

Love a Mille-feuille but hate the flaky mess which comes with it? Why not try a biscuit stack with these utterly ridiculously buttery sablé (literally meaning sandy… wonder why!?) instead…

As this recipe collection grows, you’ll see a lot of recipes will not be so isolated from one another. The second of these Sable recipes is a fun exercise in that but also how you can play around with base recipe formats. Click for inspiration…