Baked Cheese Olives

A little canapé that tastes far more exciting than its name would lead you to believe, but it is one of those 'does what it says on the tin' bites. This is a great recipe to get ahead with as it can be made and stored in the fridge overnight or it can be frozen and cooked at a later date. Just as helpful, if you are a bit vague about what they are eating, even olive haters seem to gobble them up. After all, who doesn't like crispy pastry straight from the oven?

Ingredients - makes about 40

100g unsalted butter, softened

150g strong cheddar, grated

170g plain flour

1/4th tsp cayenne

1 large beaten egg

40 small stuffed olives, pimento or anchovy

Method

Start by counting out your olives and patting them dry.

A food processor is the quickest method of making the cheese pastry, but alternatively it can be made by hand.

Using a food processor, soften the butter. Pulse in the grated cheese followed by the plain flour and cayenne.

When the dough is well mixed, pulse in the egg, mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Pulse until a dough forms.

Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge for an hour or longer.

When ready to complete the recipe, make small balls of dough - about the size of a walnut - flatten in the palm of your hand and wrap them around each olive, making sure the olive is completely enclosed and the ball is neat.

Store, loosely covered, in the fridge until ready to cook or open freeze on a baking sheet.

Heat the oven to 190ºc and cook for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. If cooking from frozen, add another 5 minutes to the cooking time.