Pre-heat your oven to fan-assisted 180C /200C / 400F / gas 6 and lightly oil 3 lined baking trays.

In a small pan, melt the butter sugar and runny honey over a low heat stirring. Stir just until the butter has melted. Then set aside.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together, mix well and then add the egg and mix it all again.

Pour in the melted butter mixture and stir until the dough starts to come together.

Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured table and knead it into a ball of dough. If the mixture is too crumbly, add a tablespoon of water at a time and knead again until it comes together.

Sprinkle some more flour on the work surface and roll out the dough to about 3mm (1/8 inch) thick and cut shapes using cookie cutters and carefully lift the cookies onto the baking trays. Leaving a little space between each cookie as they don't spread too much. Then re shape the dough, roll it out again and cut out more cookies. Repeat once more,

Bake the cookies in the hot oven in batches for 7-8 mins per batch.

Whilst the cookies are baking, make the icing by mixing together the icing sugar, egg white and water into a thick paste that will pour evenly off a spoon.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a fine writing nozzle and set aside

When the cookies have baked, they should be golden and will still be a bit soft. Take them out, carefully lift them onto a cooling rack using a palette knife and leave to cool.

If decorating them for the tree then use a small chopstick to make small holes in the top of the cookies as they come out of the oven. Just be careful not to break the top off the cookie by pressing too hard.

Once cooled then decorate the cookies to your liking.

The cookies can be stored in a tin once cooled for up to 2 weeks, as they will soften. If using as unless used as Christmas tree decorations then they can be left on the tree for the festive period.