Instructions: Begin by sifting the flour and pinch of salt into a large bowl holding the sieve as high as possible so that they get a really good airing before you begin.

Add the lard and butter cut into smallish lumps then take a knife and begin to cut the fat into the flour.

Go on doing this until it looks fairly evenly blended then begin to rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips only and being as light as possible.

As you gently rub the fat into the flour lift it up high and let it fall back into the bowl which again means that all the time air is being incorporated but do this just long enough to make the mixture crumbly with a few odd lumps here and there.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water in then with a knife start bringing the dough together using the knife to make it ding.

Discard the knife and finally bring it together with your fingertips.

When enough liquid is added the pastry should leave the bowl fairly clean.

If this hasnt happened then add a spot more water.

Place the pastry in a polythene bag and leave it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest. This will make 175g finished weight of pastry which will be enough to line a 18 or 20cm flan or quiche tin.

guidelines for quiches flans and tarts

How to line the flan tin

Once the pastry is rolled out to the correct size place the rolling pin in the centre fold the pastry over and lift it on to the pin. Then transfer it to the flan tin laying it down evenly and carefully. Now using your hands gently press the pastry into the tin to line the base and sides. (If while you were lifting the pastry you found it stretched dont worry as you line the tin ease the stretchiness back especially round the edges.) When youve pressed it all round with your fingers try to ease the pastry that is sticking up above the edges back down so what youre in fact doing is reinforcing the edge because if it gets stretched too much is will shrink during cooking. When. youve lined the tin trim off any excess around the edges with a knife but press the edges again so you have y4 inch (5 mm) above the edges of the tin.

Prebaking
Forget about baking beans its really all too much bother. Provided youve lined the tin correctly as above all you now need to do is prick the base all over with a fork as this will release any trapped air which is what causes the centre to rise up. Then brush the base and sides all over with beaten egg which will provide a sort of waterproof coating so that the pastry stays beautifully crisp even after the filling has gone in. Normally this small amount of beaten egg can be taken from the egg used for the filling in the recipe.

The oven
This needs to be preheated and at the same time you should preheat a good solid baking sheet on the centre shelf. Then pop the pastry case in to prebake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is turning golden brown. Its a good idea to have a peep halfway through if the pastry is bubbling up a bit just pride it with a fork and press it back down again with your hands.

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