pastry (as easy as pie).

Finally - a great and easy pastry pie recipe that I will make again and again. I have always thought pastry was so complex, and would fret about getting the butter to just the right texture, not over handling it, getting air into the flour and all the rest. But this recipe has changed my pie making life! Donna Hay published it in one of her magazines, as a sweet dough, but I altered this so that it can be used for savoury or sweet pies. I don't have a food processor. I don't even have a rolling pin (a 1/2 pint budweiser glass does the job just as well!).

You will need:

250g plain white flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

180g unsalted butter, chopped into cubes

1/4 cup ice cold water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly grated

What to do:

Place flour, salt, nutmeg and baking powder in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the cubes of butter and use your fingers to rub the butter in until it's as close to bread crumb consistency as possibly. Don't over work it as you don't want the butter to get too melty. Slowly incorporate the water, a splash at a time, using a wooden spoon to bring it together. Once you have the consistency right, wrap it up tightly in glad wrap and fridge it for a half hour or so before using.

To make a savoury pie as I did, roll the pastry out thinly and prick the base with a fork. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, lay it on the base of the pie, and put enough grains of uncooked rice or dried beans on top to weigh down the paper. Cook for around 15 minutes on 160'c, then add your savoury fillings (I used sundried tomato, caramelised onion, goats cheese and fennel - fill in the gaps with beaten eggs) and finish off for another 10 minutes in the oven.