Marmalade, Bacon & Thyme Pinwheels

Preheat the grill to a high heat. Lay the bacon out flat on a baking tray or grill pan and put it under the grill. Cook for 5 minutes, checking every couple of minutes, until the bacon is golden brown and starting to get crispy. Take the bacon out from under the grill and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then finely chop the bacon.

Unroll the puff pastry on a clean, flat work surface, with the long side of the pastry closest to you. You can keep it on the baking parchment it comes wrapped in. Spread the Mackays Dundee Orange Marmalade over the puff pastry in a thin layer, leaving a 2cm gap around all the edges. Evenly sprinkle over the chopped bacon, followed by the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the thyme leaves over the cheese.

Starting at the long side (closest to you) roll the pastry with its filling up into a tight spiral, like a Swiss roll. Tuck the seam underneath the roll. Brush the roll all over with the beaten egg.  Put the roll of pastry, still on the sheet of baking parchment, onto a tray and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Line two baking trays with silicone sheets or baking parchment. This is important as otherwise, the marmalade will stick to the tray.

After 30 minutes take the pastry out of the freezer, transfer it to a chopping board, and using a sharp knife cut into 1cm slices. The pastry roll should be firm enough that the layers don’t squash together as you slice. If it is still a bit soft put it back in the freezer for another 15 minutes and try again.

Lay the pinwheel slices out on the lined baking trays with 2cm space between then as they will puff up a bit as they cook. Put them in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden. These are delicious served warm with a glass of something cold and sparkling as a pre-dinner snack. They are best served on the day they are baked but see the note below if you want to prepare them in advance.

Note: If you want to make these pinwheels in advance then slice the chilled pinwheels and arrange them on lined trays and put them in the freezer for an hour until frozen solid. The frozen pinwheels can then be put in freezer bags or plastic boxes and kept in the freezer until needed. Bake them from frozen but add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.