Reading ALIVE Thursday January 25 2007

Taste Crumbles! Shortcake is the tops

By Sharon Cook

THERE is just one working water mill on the River Thames.

It so inspired a local baker to cook with its' flour that she has created a successful business specialising in shortbread. But Jane Starling's shortbread is special. Not only is it made with Mapledurham flour, it also has the most delicious toppings you could ever imagine. Made using a recipe she spent months developing, Jane's shortbread - made under the name of Crumbles - is already building quite a reputation for itself.

"I only started last June," Jane told Taste, "it's going very well.The idea came from wanting to make something using the flour and I came up with shortbread.
Traditional shortbread wouldn't have been very exciting, so I decided to put toppings on it." Jane makes all the toppings herself, which include toffee and walnut, fruit and nut, chocolate fudge, rocky road and at Christmas she made home made mincemeat with cherry brandy plus cranberry with cream cheese and coconut. That one proved so popular she is considering making it throughout the year. Crumbles is purely about shortbread, though Jane does also bake scones for the Mapledurham House cafe from April to September. With a background in catering- Jane used to have a sandwich shop in Didcot - the entrepreneur is well used to catering for others, and she is clearly dedicated to her new venture.

"I tried lots of recipes, I looked on the internet and in cookery books and tried lots of different ways of making shortbread. I stuck with this one (the one she uses) because of the flour, it gives it a really creamy texture, normally shortbread can be quite hard and tasteless. "It's the best flour I've ever used, it's stone ground and very light and it gives everything a light texture."
Crumbles shortbread can now be bought in special gift boxes from Wickcroft Farm Shop between Theale and

Pangbourne, The Spinney, also in Pangbourne and Nappers in Goring. But Jane will only sell it to retail outlets if they store it properly, if it is stored somewhere too warm, or in direct sunlight, it can spoil the shortbread and therefore the experience of such a delicious product.Crumbles also sell at Reading, Newbury, Purley and Hare Hatch farmers markets, plus Jane, will take orders directly. What's more Jane reckons her shortbread is good for diets as you only need a small piece to satisfy - better a slice of

Crumbles shortbread than a whole packet of chocolate biscuits,though Taste is not sure if we could stop at just one piece! There have even been comments from satisfied customers who say it's better than the traditional Scottish shortbread available.

But the fact it is local makes it even more special: "It's important these days," added Jane, "local produce is at the forefront of people's minds at the moment." You can also buy Mapledurham flour at the farmers markets. It is available as 100 % wholemeal or 81% pure, which is almost white flour. To find out more about Crumbles call Jane on (0118) 972 2058, email enquiries�crumbles.co.uk or visit the new web site at www.crumbles.co.uk which should be up and running shortly.