Savoury choux buns

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

Place the milk and salt in a pan and bring gently to the boil, and set aside until needed

In a separate heavy based saucepan, melt the butter on a medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste without any lumps and leaves the sides and base of the pan cleanly. Cook for a further 5 minutes to cook out the starches in the flour

Reduce to a low heat, stir in the warm milk, a little at a time, and cook on the stove for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts to form a paste and take on a sheen. Switch from a wooden poon to a whisk half way through this process

Place the paste in a food mixer and blend until cooled to room temperature. Beat the eggs into the paste one at a time until fully incorporated

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized plain nozzle. Pipe evenly sized 3cm balls of the choux pastry onto non-stick baking sheets, leaving a space double that size between each one

Place into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch, then leave on a rack to cool

For the filling, soften the cream cheese in a bowl with a plastic spatula. Season with a little salt and mix in the fresh herbs

Transfer the cheese and herb filling into a piping bag fitted with a star-fluted nozzle

Using a small sharp knife, cut the top off each cooked choux bun. Pipe a good amount of filling into each choux bun, place the tops back on and serve