Ingredients – Jam Tarts (makes 12)

200 g (7 oz) plain flour

100 g (3.5 oz) cold butter, cubed

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

2–3 tbsp cold water

About 6 tbsp jam (any flavour)

Step 1: Preheat Oven set to: Fan 170°C, Electric 190°C, Gas 5.

Grease a tart tin or a standard muffin tin.”

Step 2: Pastry Time

If you want to use shop brought pastry that absolutely fine it works just as well and saves time

Rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, then the egg yolk, and a splash of cold water until it comes together into a dough.

Wrap it up and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pastry likes to relax — a bit like us after a long day.

Step 3: Roll & Fill

Roll the dough out, not too thin, and cut circles. Pop them into your tin. Then add a spoonful of jam in each. Just a spoonful, mind you. Jam is sneaky — it bubbles and expands, and suddenly you’ve got a volcano.

Step 4: Bake

Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the pastry is golden. The jam will be molten lava, so let them cool before eating. Seriously. I once burned the roof of my mouth on a jam tart so badly I couldn’t taste anything for two days. Learn from my pain.

Baker’s Corner

Why chill pastry? Because cold butter equals flaky pastry. If your kitchen is warm, even stick the rolling pin in the fridge for 10 minutes. It makes a difference.

And that’s it — simple, charming jam tarts. They’re quick, they’re cheap, and they bring instant nostalgia.