Felicity Cloake's Perfect Custard Tart

I have long adored the British version of the custard tart, with its shortcrust base and ever so slightly wibbly wobbly creamy custard filling, generously sprinkled with nutmeg.  Lionel Hardcastle, one of the main characters on As Time Goes By, is famed for his love of custard tarts. You can check out Lionel and his beloved custard tarts at the start of this bloopers reel.

Felicity Cloake recently published a recipe for the "perfect" custard tart here in The Guardian.  I was keen to make it, especially as I had cream in the fridge to do so.  Here are the results of my labours (after I had already cut it, as you can see):

My pastry was not the best, not because of the recipe, but because I originally didn't put enough butter in, then tried to fix the pastry with water before realising the problem.  However, despite the resulting pastry being very sticky, and impossible to roll (I ended up pressing it into the pan, hence it is quite thick), it didn't taste too bad.

The filling was devine; in fact, so good that I could have eaten the whole family sized tart all by myself.  However, self-restrain prevailed, and I shared it with my colleagues the next day, who also seemed to appreciate it.

If you are a fan of the British style of custard tart, do give this recipe a go.  It is quite delicious!