It’s one I have done before, as you can see on my pictorial frieze above…. I thought at the time it would be hit or miss, an acquired taste, but no, half of it went in one sitting…. No different 2 years later!

Ingredients:

• 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 140g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 175g self-raising flour
• ½ tbsp dried culinary lavender, roughly chopped (double if fresh)

• 30ml milk
• ¼tsp lavender extract

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/160°fan/ Gas 4 and lightly grease a 8″/20cm round cake tin
• Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs, one at a time , between well in between, and don’t worry if it looks curdled

• Add the sifted soda and flour to the mixture

• Fold in by hand with the lavender, dried and extract, and the milk

• Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top level

• Bake for 50mn to an hour, until a skewer comes out clean and golden
• Leave to cool for 5mn before turning out on to a wire rack to go cold

For the topping: some icing sugar mixed with a little milk and a tiny amound of purple food colourant