Ingredients

Step by step

1. Melt the butter in a small pan over a low to medium heat then cool slightly. Tip the semolina into a bowl and mix in the flour and caster sugar. Pour in the butter and add 4 tablespoons of the milk and the rose water. Bring the mixture together into a dough (if it looks too dry, add another 1-2 tablespoons of milk). Shape it into a ball, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. To make the filling remove the little stalks and stones from the dates and discard them. Put the fruit into a food processor and add the rose water.
3. Put the pistachios in a small bowl and cover with boiling water to loosen the skins for about 5 minutes. Drain and pop them out of their skins, then bash or chop the pistachios into a rubble and tip them into a shallow dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
5. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Using your hands, flatten a portion into a thin oval shape. Place a portion of the date mixture in a line down the centre and mould the pastry around it, pinching the ends closed. It will be quite delicate and crumbly, but just patch together any gaps. Roll it tightly into a sausage shape. Gently roll the biscuit in the pistachios and place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest. Bake for 18-20 minutes until just a little golden at the sides. Remove and leave to cool completely before serving with clotted cream.
   Tip

   Look for fudco pistachio kernels in the world foods aisle – they're gorgeously green