- butter, for greasing
- 80g/3oz parmesan, finely grated (or similar alternative vegetarian hard cheese)
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7, line two large baking trays with baking paper and grease them with butter.
- Toss the cheese and seeds together in a small bowl. Sit a 9cm/3½in chefs’ ring or cookie cutter on one of the baking trays and sprinkle a small handful of the cheese mixture into it, in a thin layer. Carefully lift the ring off to reveal a neat-edged disc of parmesan and lay a lollipop stick on top, with the tip of the stick touching the middle of the disc.
- Repeat with the remaining cheese and sticks to make 10 in total (leaving about 3cm/1¼in spaces between them to allow for any spreading during cooking).
- You should have a little parmesan left over, so use it to cover up the part of the lollipop stick resting on the disc.
- Bake in the oven for five minutes, swapping the lollipops to a different shelf halfway through. The cheese should be lightly golden-brown and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and slide the paper off the baking trays and onto a rack to help speed up cooling. Leave to cool for 1–2 minutes, or until the lollipops have become crisp. Very carefully remove each one with a palette knife. I like to serve these stuck upright into a box with holes in the top.