Pastry Pep-talk...

I'm sure we've all tried (and succeeded) to make a delicious pie. But have you considered making your own pastry?

The ingredients are probably already in your fridge and pantry and all it really takes is a little preparation...

Traditional short crust is still a little difficult for me to handle so I tend to stick with this fool proof recipe and add my own personal touch...

For a savoury crust with a twist, start by rubbing 250g of plain flour, a pinch of salt, 125g of cubed butter and a heaped teaspoon of curry powder with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs. Whisk 1 tablespoon of chilled water with an egg and add it to the flour mixture, folding with a wooden spoon until it starts to clump up. Now use your hands to roll it into a smooth ball before wrapping it in cling wrap and putting it into the fridge for 2 hours.

Once the pastry has chilled, flour a clean and dry work space ready to roll out the dough. You have to work quite quickly because if the dough gets too warm its much harder to handle. For every few rolls of the rolling pin, flip and turn the dough to ensure it spreads in an even fashion and is not sticking to your work surface.

When the pastry is 5mm or less its ready to bake!

I like to use this recipe to top a pot pie, try it with a chicken, leek and mushroom recipe! Just don't forget to pierce the top to ensure the steam from the filling escapes and doesn't steam your pastry.

You can brush some melted butter on top for added colour and bake it in a nice hot oven for 20-25 minutes, until it is golden brown!

ps: wearing black was not the greatest idea...