Apple pie

Methods/steps

For the apple filling:

1. Peel and core the apples and cut them into chunks.

2. Put into a pan with the sugar, spice and water, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes, until just starting to get soft.

3. Remove from the heat.

For the pasty:

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl.

2. Cut up the fat into little cubes, add to the bowl and rub into the flour. Alternatively put the flour and fat cubes into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3. Combine the water with the flour. It should just hold together to form a firm dough. Add a little more water if necessary - but go easy!

4. Turn on the oven to 200°C, 400° or gas 6

5. Cut the dough in half and form each piece into a flat ball.

6. Dust the table and your rolling pin with flour, and gently roll one piece of the dough until it is a bit bigger than your oven dish.

Don’t let it stick to the table or rolling pin, keep dusting with flour and moving it around!

7. Lay the pastry into the flan dish, easing it down into the corners.

8. Spoon in the cooked fruit. Moisten around the rim of the pastry with water.

9. Roll out the remaining dough. Make sure it is big enough to cover the filling. Lift onto the flan dish, press edges together and cut away the surplus pastry. Make a couple of slits in the top so that the steam can escape.

10. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is turning colour nicely.