The moment Marcus Wareing pulled his custard tart out of the oven in an episode of Great British Menu, I knew I would be spending part of my weekend trying to recreate it. The fact that all three judges gave it a perfect score, only sealed the deal further. It seems quite hard to find a good custard tart these days. The best custardy tart in Sydney would have to be Lorraine Godsmark’s Date Tart, available at Yellow Bistro in Potts Point. But if you don’t live in the area and happen to have some tart pastry lying around, it’s good to be able to make your own too. The spicy scent that penetrates every room of your house will be worth it, especially on a cold winter’s day.

Marcus Wareing’s Recipe for Custard Tart filling :

9 free-range egg yolks
75g caster sugar
500ml whipping cream
freshly grated nutmeg

First, start blind baking the tart shell. To make the filling, whisk the yolks and sugar together. Add the cream, pass the mixture and heat it in a pan until it reaches blood temperature. Pour the filling into the tart case and bake at 130’C for 30-40 minutes until the custard is just set. Dust with nutmeg while still warm, then leave to cool before cutting a large slice to enjoy!

The chef served his tart with garibaldi biscuits, but I think a slice of this tart is perfect even on its own. And please don’t waste a single bit on Bill!

A free Sunday. Used to be such a rarity. I savour every moment of it : every cup of tea and nibble of toast that is partaken on a Sunday, tastes different to any other day of the week. This time we woke up late, having stayed up to watch England play Portugal in the World Cup Quarter Final. The sun was streaming onto the balcony and it looked like we could do with a few more family members. So here’s introducing.. french tarragon, continental parsley and vietnamese mint.

The parsley and some basil went into one of my favourite pasta dishes – Spaghetti with anchovies, chilli, garlic and cherry tomatoes. It’s a quick, extremely tasty dish that’s perfect for Sunday evenings.. or Mondays (if like me, you were feeling a bit too lazy on Sunday).