Shortbread - for Anna

Very simple -

4 oz butter,
2 oz caster sugar,
6oz plain flour,
2 oz ground rice.

Put dry ingredients into a bowl, chop the butter into tiny pieces and stir it in with spoon, hands, one of those fancy things for cutting the butter into pastry dough if you have one (I don't) a food mixer, or whatever you fancy. When the butter's disappeared and the mix looks crumbly tip it out onto a floured surface and squash it together until it sticks. Shape it however you like - you can roll it out and cut rounds if you want but I generally just slap it together in the middle of a greased baking tray, shape it into a rectangle and then cut it into fingers. Stab it all over with a fork, then shove it into an oven at 160C (320F, gas 3) until it's just starting to brown slightly - anywhere from 15 minutes to 40 depending on how thick you've made it. I like mine slightly underdone so it's almost chewy; cook it for longer and it'll be crunchier.

Tia