100 lime custard tarts (to die for!)

My husband's mum gave me her old baking tins years ago - and whatever I bake in them tastes better, I am convinced. I have used them hundreds of times for hundreds of things and today they have turned out fifty lime custard tarts for a lovely wedding coming up. You'll have eaten something similar, no doubt - those delicious Portuguese 'pasteis de nata' that make you want to have another and another. Well, here I bring you what I call my failsafe cheat's version , the basis of which involves only 3 ingredients - good puff pastry, (shop bought) good custard (shop bought) and eggs (from a chicken). Some lime or lemon to add a bit of zing is optional, but I promise you that once they come out of the oven - and sink, which is what they will do and are supposed to do- these little instant mouthfuls of deliciousness will bring a smile to anybody's face!

My only challenge always is to hide them from my husband, who will shamelessly eat them all if given half the chance. Which is why I know there are fifty So that I can catch him out later on today. You have been warned, Mr Fitzgerald

Just as a wee aside, beautiful Michelle of Lamb Loves Photography gave me her mother's recipe for a pastryless version of these where you bake the custard filling in the tin holes and they rise up just like the pastry encased ones - there's lots of demerara sugar involved in them, I seem to remember and I'll add the recipe here as an alternative when I find it.

 Recipe (makes about 24 depending on size of tin holes)

1 x ready rolled pack of Puff pastry

400 ml custard (Sainsbury's luxury custard is to die for!)

2 eggs

juice and zest of 1 lime - optional

Line the tin holes sections with rounds of puff pastry rolled out to about 1/4 inch ( you don't need to grease the bases - the flour used for rolling will be enough.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients together. Pour into the individual pastry cases and bake at 170 degrees (fan oven)/180 otherwise for 30 - 35 mins. 

They'll rise in the oven and then deflate again when you take them out. Don't worry, this is normal.

Hide from husbands.

A beautiful garden wedding that grew from engagement seed to full grown wedding bloom in only 3 weeks!

With the help of mum Morag, beautiful Joanne and Adam dreamed, planned and made their wedding happen in 3 short giddy weeks. Start to finish. The reception was held in the beautiful garden of Joanne's family home - not a huge space; but really pretty with a brook running through it, and a little bridge to cross. The pagoda marquees were lovely - and the marquee company incredibly helpful - providing airy whimsical spaces once garnished simply with pretty lights, beautiful little wrought iron tables and chairs; and very simple jam jar flower arrangements. We created a feasting table. Oh. And a pudding shed.

I really love our behind the scene glimpses. Here, in the moments before Joanne and her beautiful bridesmaids leave for Culross Abbey, we get to wave them off. Beautiful duster blue dresses, and Joanne's dress, chosen in such a short space of time, made us all shed a tear or ten.

Joanne loves fresh, local produce, generous sharing food and flavours that make you happy. That's what she got!! And there's lovely mum Morag taking a peak in the background. Beautiful lady.

We wanted to make some visual points of impact that would surprise and delight guests, and make Joanne happy. The Pudding Shed, therefore -  which we created in the little summer house - was a huge success. I have never had to fight guests to stay out until we were organised before, but delighted to say that on this occasion we had to! You know who you are!!!

Of all the weddings that I have ever catered, this one has been the one that I think, for particular reasons, has truly taken my heart. Beautiful family and friends who pulled together and who made this wedding exactly what Joanne dreamed of. The chance to make a lovely garden beautiful. Free reign to transform spaces and to hang hearts and bunting and bows. Joanne and Adam, truly, I wish you every happiness in the world. Your dad looked like a very very proud man, Joannex