200 g plain flour

50 g fine oatmeal

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

125 g light brown muscovada sugar

1 piece of stem ginger in syrup, drained and roughly chopped

125 g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

one 20 cm square tin, well greased

Makes 9 squares

Mix all the ingredients except the butter in a food processor until they form the texture of coarse sand. Add the cold chunks of butter, then process until you have fine crumbs. Do not overwork the mixture – it should not form a dough.

Set aside 4 tablespoons of the crumbs. Tip the rest into the prepared tin and press them into an even layer with the back of aspoon. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top.

Using a round – bladed knife, score the shortbread into 9 squares. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) Gas 4 for about 25 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven.

Cut along the scored lines, but leave the shortbread to cool in the tin before turning out.

Store in an airtight container and eat within 1 week, or freeze for up 1 month.