I've got an English friend. We'll call her "Lady Jo" or "LJ" for short, although it could have been "Trucker Jo." This was her husband's pick-up line when he met her: "Oh, Jo? Like an American trucker Jo?" Yes—and that actually worked. They've been happily together for 20+ years now.

Lady Jo is so beautifully British especially with that accent of hers. She can tell anyone to shut up without sounding offensive and she always totes a thermos full of tea tucked away for tea time. She is whom I go to for baking advice because she's got an aunt with creds whom she goes to for baking advice. One day, LJ popped over with this recipe in hand and the gingerbread man cutter in the other. What a delightful surprise for me! Ever since then, I haven't stopped making them. My kids are kept busy individualizing their gingerbread men and I look forward to dunking them in my cuppa. Merry holidays everyone!

GInger Biscuits (nude)

INGREDIENTS//yields 25

• 350 grams plain flour
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 150 grams butter
• 175 grams golden syrup
• 150 grams sugar (I use brown sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

Sieve the first three ingredients together. Then rub in the butter.

Heat the golden syrup in a small pan until runny, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.

Add it to the dry mixture and mix well.

Roll into walnut size balls and arrange it on a tray leaving enough space in between each biscuit dough.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 165° depending on size of biscuit. Let it cool and then lift it off the tray with a spatula.

Optional: Decorate at your own creative will.

NOTE

I usually roll the dough up in balls much larger than walnut size for the gingerbread man. Depending on the size of your gingerbread man cutter or other shaped cookie cutters you'll have to roll up enough dough so that when you flatten it, it spreads out enough for the cookie cutter to fit. Oven time varies for size and thickness of your cookies. I used a 4 1/2 inch length gingerbread man cutter and rolled it out about 1/4 inch thick. I left it in the oven for 15 minutes. These are the hard, crunchy English style biscuits.