Vo - Tea with Bea: Recipes from Beas of Bloomsbury

The dried lemon verbena provides a lovely, lemony earthiness to this recipe. If you use fresh, add a little extra to make sure you have enough essential oils. The rich olive oil is a perfect counterpoint to the zesty lemon. The cookies keep quite well in an airtight container for up to 1 week, so are perfect to keep on hand when friends come by for a spot of tea.

grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

teaspoon dried lemon verbena tea leaves

200 g/1 cup caster/superfine sugar, plus extra for dipping

teaspoon salt

110 g/1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla pod, seeds only

280 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour, sifted

140 g/1 cup fine semolina (you can use coarse, but you will need to add 2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour to absorb more liquid)

1 teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon bicarbonate of/baking soda

baking sheets, lined with parchment paper

makes about 20

Using an electric mixer with paddle or beater attachment (or an electric whisk), mix together the lemon zest, tea leaves, sugar and salt, and beat until the sugar smells very lemony about 1 minute. The sugar will bruise the lemon zest and tea leaves, releasing the essential oils.

Add the butter, olive oil and lemon juice and beat until white and fluffy.

Beat the eggs and egg yolk together in a small bowl. Slowly mix into the butter mixture, beating continuously. Scrape down the batter from the side of the bowl and beat again until thoroughly combined. The mixture should look like a whipped, shiny mayonnaise. Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Mix the flour, semolina, baking powder and bicarbonate of/baking soda together. Tip straight into the butter mixture and stir until just combined.

The dough will be very soft. Still in the bowl, press it down with clingfilm/plastic wrap to remove any big air bubbles, cover well with the clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) Gas 5.

Pull off pieces of dough the size of golf balls and roll into neat balls with your hands. Dip them thoroughly in caster sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them apart to allow for spreading during baking. Slightly flatten each ball into a disc with the palm of your hand.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. The cookies should be a light golden colour and the tops should look dry and matt. Shininess is a sign of still-uncooked dough.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let rest for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch.

I always thought lavender was meant for soap, and only soap. And then I was introduced to the most marvellous lavender Earl Grey iced tea by chef Michael Katz at Le Cordon Bleu. While working in the savoury section during the hot summer months, on a second-floor kitchen with no air-conditioning and ridiculously hot stoves, the temperature easily reaching the high 30s (90s), he would run downstairs and concoct us this most refreshing drink. Lavender shortbread is so proper and perfect for afternoon tea with a pot of Earl Grey. Because there are so few ingredients, I use the best of everything, including fine sea salt.

70 g/ cup caster/superfine sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 tablespoons icing/confectioners sugar

teaspoon dried lavender

teaspoon fine sea salt

350 g/3 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened, cubed

350 g/2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

brownie/baking pan, 30 x 20 x 5 cm/ 12 x 8 x 2 inches, e.g. Silverwood Eyecatcher, baselined with parchment paper

makes 24 squares

Preheat the oven to 145C (290F) Gas 3.

Whiz both the sugars, the lavender and salt in an electric mixer with paddle attachment (or rub with your bare hands) until the lavender buds are bruised and the sugars smell of lavender.

Beat the butter into the sugar mixture until well combined. Fold in the flour until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared brownie pan and pat the dough down until well combined and level. Sprinkle caster sugar over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 4055 minutes until the top is golden brown and the edges shrink from the pan edges.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into 24 squares.

I was first introduced to these cookies by Mommy dearest my beloved sisters mother-in-law, who always had some type of cake, cookie or baked treat in her home whenever I visited on the weekends. I have modified the recipe and replaced shortening with butter; the result is a crispier and more moreish cookie, but a good compromise is half shortening and butter if you would like to have the soft cake-like quality as well. We have incorporated brown sugar into the recipe to keep the cookies almost as soft as shortening would.

250 g/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

250 g/1 cups dark brown soft sugar

100 g/ cup caster/superfine sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

250 g/1 cups plain/all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of/baking soda

2 tablespoons milk

250 g/2 cups jumbo oats (dont use quick-cook oats, as they will get mushy!)

150 g/ cup sultanas or raisins

125 g/1 cup soft shredded coconut e.g. Bakers Angel Flake (do not replace with desiccated coconut)

baking sheets, lined with parchment paper

makes about 40

Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) Gas 5.

Using an electric mixer with paddle or beater attachment (or an electric whisk), beat the butter, salt and both sugars until the mixture is lightened in colour, fluffy in texture and increases in volume.

Slowly mix the eggs into the butter mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Sift together the flour and bicarbonate of/baking soda. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add the milk and beat until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Add the oats, sultanas and flaked coconut and mix until just combined.

Using 2 spoons or an easy-remove ice cream scoop, place large dollops of dough (about 40 g/1 oz.) onto the prepared baking sheets. Slightly flatten each ball into a disc with the palm of your hand. Refrigerate for 5 minutes until thoroughly chilled. (At this point, you can also pop them in the freezer, freeze them for 2 hours, then place the dough balls in an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks, for baking at a later date. Defrost for 15 minutes before baking.)

When the dough is slightly chilled, put the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 913 minutes. The cookies are done when the tops dont look shiny or wet any more.