A comprehensive introduction includes all the information you need to know about making pastries and pies at home. From easy-to-follow basic recipes, such as simple, unsweetened pastry, to trickier types such as puff, choux, strudel, and hot-water crust?every type of pastry is explained. Illustrated instructions show you how to vary shape and flavor, line pie tins and molds, and create trimmings for decorative finishes.

The second section contains recipes for over 135 sweet and savory pastries. There are wonderful appetizers and snacks, classic quiches and savory tarts, fabulous recipes for double-crust pies, and delightful savory packets and pastry cases. You can choose from well-loved dishes, such as Quiche Lorraine; discover how to make the perfect Steak and Kidney Pie; or try out some of the elegant ideas for special occasions, such as Scallops and Mushrooms in a Puff Pastry Case.

The sweet pastry chapters are just as comprehensive, with dozens of delicious recipes for individual pies and tarts made from unsweetened, choux, puff, and phyllo pastries, as well as rich pastry desserts made with chocolate and nuts. There are recipes too, from classics such as Treacle Tart and Mississippi Mud Pie, to a whole host of wonderful tea-time treats such as Bakewell Tart and Phyllo-topped Apple Pie.