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Bacon & mature Cheddar cheese twisties

When I made a batch of these they were gone before they were even cool! These are in my top ten all-time favourite foods and are fantastically easy to make. For a little extra spice, sprinkle on some paprika or cayenne.

Makes 14 twisties

1 x 375g puff pastry

Plain flour, for dusting

1 tbsp English mustard

100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

14 or so slices of really good-quality thin bacon (sadly, the regular stuff is just too salty) or 14 slices of prosciutto or pancetta

1 egg, lightly beaten, for the eggwash

Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a large rectangle that is as long (when I say ‘long’ I mean the height from top to bottom) as one of the slices of bacon and as wide as you can roll it. The pastry should be about 5mm thick. Turn the pastry so that the longest side is facing you and spread the mustard over, then sprinkle with the cheese and black pepper. Lay the pieces of bacon down side by side as if they were all lying in bed together, leaving a 2mm gap between each piece. Then use a sharp knife to cut between each piece. Pick up one piece and twist it about 4–5 times so it looks like a curly straw, then put it on the prepared baking tray and repeat with the rest of the twisties, arranging them spaced apart, as they will spread a little during baking.

Put the trays in the fridge for 15–20 minutes to firm up, or in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7. Remove the twisties from the fridge and brush the pastry with the eggwash. Put the baking trays into the oven, turn the oven down to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry is well risen and looks golden brown. Preheating the oven at a higher temperature compensates for any lost hot air when the oven is opened to put the twisties in. Otherwise, the oven temperature may drop to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and it would not be hot enough to give the twisties that big blast of heat they need.

When they are cooked, remove them from the oven and leave to cool.