All the freshness of a posset and all the cool crumbliness of a good shortbread – and all without the dairy

I didn’t know there was shortbread beyond Walker’s until I was in my mid-20s and working (briefly) at the Dock Kitchen, where, under the guidance of chef Richard Blackwell, I whipped up a batch. Each mouthful was unlike any other biscuit; it was rich, buttery, crumbly and melted enthusiastically in my mouth. I imagine it’s for this reason that shortbread is often paired with sharp and creamy posset, a smooth set cream and citrus dessert on which today’s mousse is based. The fennel seed, with its sweet, green flavour, acts as an excellent chaperone, helping to ease any tension between mousse and shortbread.