Start by whisking the butter, vanilla, sugar and orange zest together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. This can be done by hand, or with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to make things easier.

Sift in the flour and stir through, then add the spices and currants and mix into a ball of dough. Make sure not to overwork the dough as it should be crumbly.

Wrap the dough in cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160°C fan (350°F) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment or a silicone sheet.

Roll out the chilled dough onto a floured work surface, to about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Using a small biscuit (cookie) cutter, cut out individual biscuits. Once you’ve cut shapes out of the first roll of dough, bring it together, roll out again and cut the remaining, so nothing goes to waste. This should make around 18–20 biscuits.

Place the biscuits spaced apart onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the glaze, mix the maple syrup and milk together in a small bowl.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, gently brush with the glaze and sprinkle with caster sugar. Return to the oven for 2–5 minutes until golden brown at the edges. (You can turn the biscuits the opposite way for a perfectly even bake.)

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10–15 minutes to set before serving. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!).