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Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. butter

• 1 1/2 oz. corn flour

• 6 oz. plain flour

• 1/2 pt. milk

• 4 oz. castor sugar

• Few drops vanilla essence

• 3 eggs

• 12 oz. strawberries

Method

1. Rub butter into flour and 1 ounce sugar. Bind to soft dough with 1 egg. Knead lightly on floured surface. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

2. Line a 9-inch flan case with pastry and bake blind at 200 0 C. (400 F. - Mark 6) for 20 minutes or until pale golden and cooked through. Cool in dish.

3. Mix corn flour to smooth paste with a little milk and the egg yolks. Bring remaining milk to the boil with sugar and vanilla essence. Pour into corn flour mixture and return to the boil, stirring and boil for 2 minutes until thickened. Cover with damp greaseproof paper and cool. Whisk if necessary to remove lumps. Thinly slice strawberries into the base of flan cake. Reserve a few for garnish. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into custard mixture. Evenly smooth custard over strawberries and serve with cream.

Courtesy of Mrs. M. Brown, High Wycombe, Bucks, England, House of Lancaster Cookery Book, 1986