Spongata

Step 1: Warm 7 oz honey in a pan until runny, then stir in 3 ½ oz walnuts, 1 ¾ oz blanched almonds, 1 oz pine nuts, 2 ⅛ oz raisins, 1 ¾ oz candied orange and citron peel, 1 ¾ oz dry breadcrumbs, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 pinch ground cloves and 3 tbsp orange juice. Cool, cover and leave for at least 12 hours, ideally 2 days, for the flavours to blend.

Step 2: For the pastry, rub 4 oz cold butter into 10 ½ oz plain flour, 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar and 1 pinch salt until like breadcrumbs, then add ¼ cup milk and press into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Roll half the pastry to a 26 cm round about 3 mm thick and lay it on a lined tray or in a shallow tart tin.

Step 4: Spread the filling evenly over it, leaving a 2 cm border, and flatten it to about 1.5 cm thick.

Step 5: Roll out the rest of the pastry, lay it over and press the edges together firmly; trim and crimp. Prick the top all over with a fork.

Step 6: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until pale golden and dry to the touch. A common mistake is baking until dark brown: the honey filling then turns hard and bitter.

Step 7: Cool completely, dust thickly with 2 tbsp icing sugar and wrap. It is best after a day, and keeps for 2 weeks.