Minted Strawberries with Black Pepper Shortbread

Black Pepper and Strawberries may not seem like an obvious flavour pairing, but the gentle fragrant heat from the pepper complements the juicy brightness of the tomatoes perfectly. Shortbread usually benefits from a pinch of salt, but there’s no need when using Ivy’s Reserve Salted Butter, which seasons the shortbread biscuits perfectly.

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For the strawberries

• 200g strawberries, hulled, any larger fruits cut in half or quartered
• 1 heaped tbsp caster sugar
• Leaves from a sprig of mint, roughly torn
• 150g full fat Greek yoghurt

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For the shortbread

• 200g plain white flour
• 120g Ivy’s Reserve Salted Butter, removed from the fridge 15 minutes before cutting
• 55g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• ½ tsp roughly ground black pepper
• Zest of an unwaxed lemon

1. Tumble the strawberries together with the caster sugar and mint until all the strawberries have been turned over in the sugar three or four times. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature for an hour, or up to 24 hours in the fridge for a more intense minty flavour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift the flour into a bowl and cut the butter into 1cm cubes. Use clean fingers to rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, pepper and lemon zest.
3. Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin with parchment paper and tip in the shortbread dough. Use the base of glass or clean hands to press the dough down into the tin. Pierce all over with the prongs of a fork. The dough will be crumbly, but will come together as it cooks. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and slide into the middle shelf in the oven. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes until golden on top. Once cooked, remove the tin from the oven and slice into squares or fingers while the biscuit is still hot. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then use the paper to lift the shortbread onto a cooling rack, gently pushing the sliced biscuits apart as you do.
4. Serve the strawberries with some of their syrup spooned on top of some of the yoghurt, with a finger or few little squares of shortbread alongside.
5. Once cooled, the shortbread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.