Spiced Fruit Slice

I was excited to give this recipe a whirl, simply because I was hoping it was a homemade version of one of a favourite of mine back when I was a young 'un, the pillow biscuit, or it's as it's more officially known, the Spiced Fruit Roll. A buttery pastry filled with a jammy fruit paste is a weird treat choice for a kid to be sure, but then I was a pretty strange kid.

In parts of the UK pastries like these have been given the nickname of a fly cemetery, and it's honestly not hard to see why. The thick, black, currant-filled mush in the middle definitely looks like a grisly graveyard for a bug-related bloodbath. I love the idea that someone goes into a shop, orders a fly cemetary, walks out with one of these treats, and that is completely normal, satisfactory transaction.

The slice itself is rich but not too sweet, with a super short crust that's seriously melt-in-the-mouth. Using tea instead of water in the fruit filling will give a little extra flavour to your gooey concoction, and you can always up the sugar content with a dusting of icing sugar.

In order to get the texture just right, make sure to set out your ingredients to come to room temperature about 30 minutes before you plan to start baking. Also, when it says below to rub your butter into your flour using your hands, grab two handfuls of the contents of your bowl, then rub both your thumbs across the rest of your fingers, with your fingers acting as a rough surface. Alternatively you can just put everything into a food processor and spin it to the same breadcrumb-like consistency.