Soak raisins in a bowl of hot kettle boiled water for at least 10 minutes as this will prevent the raisins from burning.

Preheat oven to 160c.

Add the flour and butter to a bowl and beat with a hand whisk or wooden spoon.

Next add the vanilla extract and stir well.

Stir in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and oats. Mixture will look dry but it's normal.

Drain the raisins in a colander or sieve and add to the mixture. Mix well.

Next roll the dough into 16 equal sized balls.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and transfer the dough balls to it. Press down on each ball with your fingers to flatten them.

Bake for around 15 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Allow the cookies to cool before attempting to remove them from the tray. The cookies will be very soft at this stage but it's normal and as they cool they will harden.

Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days.