Spiced Apple & Ginger Pie

Make the pastry: place the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and blitz until it looks like breadcrumbs. Alternatively, place the dry ingredients in a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips.

Add the cordial to the pastry crumb mix and blitz in the processor or stir in with a knife, until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Wrap and chill for 20 mins.

Prepare the filling: Quarter, peel and core the apples then roughly slice them. Place in a large pan, add the cordial, lemon zest and juice. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan and simmer for about 5 mins or until the mixture is just soft bit some apple pieces remain. Taste and add more sugar according to taste (and the sourness of your apples!) Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 100oC/Fan 180oC/ Gas Mark 6. Roll out half the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is 3mm thick. And use to line the base of a 23cm pie tin, pressing the pastry well into the base of the tin. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the sides of the tin. Place on a baking tray, line with baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the baking beans and cook for a further 5 mins.

Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface then cut out a circle about 5 cm larger than the pie dish.

Spoon the apples into the centre of the pie, brush the pastry edges with milk, then lay the pastry over the filling. Use a knife to trim off the excess pastry, then use a fork to seal the edges and make a pattern. Roll out the reserved trimmings and use these to decorate the top of the pie. Brush with milk, sprinkle with sugar and bake on the baking tray for 30-35mins until golden and crisp.