Step 1

Overnight, add the earl grey tea (either in bag form or loose in a tea strainer) to the cream & milk. Discard the tea/bags in the morning and place the infused cream back into the fridge.

Step 2

To make the pastry add the butter, sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and rub together using your fingertips to create crumbs.

Step 3

Add the egg yolks, vanilla & ice cold water into the bowl and mix again to create a soft & smooth dough. If the mixture still feels too dry and a little more water until you have achieved the same kind of texture as playdough.

Step 4

Form into a puck and wrap in clingfilm. Place into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Preheat the oven 180C/160 Fan. Get out a 9 inch tart case.

Step 6

Lightly flour your rolling pin and place a large sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Roll the pastry away from you once, turn the greaseproof paper ¼ turn and repeat.Always rolling only once each time before turning. Until it is bigger than your tart tin, allowing for extra to overhang the tin.

Step 7

Gently roll the pastry onto the pin, and unroll gently over the tart pan. Take some of the excess pastry and roll into a ball, use this pastry ball to push the pastry into the base and around the edges. Lift the edges whilst you are pushing to prevent any stretching/ cracking.

Step 8

Trim using a sharp knife, then prick the bottom a few times with a fork. Pop back into the fridge for 15 minutes.

Step 9

Using the same parchment paper you rolled the pastry on, crumple it up into a ball. Then uncrumple it and place in tart. Add your baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper & baking beans and bake for a further 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on the side while you make your custard.

Step 10

Add the cornflour, egg yolks, salt and half the sugar into a mixing bowl. Pour the infused cream, milk and the remaining sugar into a saucepan, and gently heat through to a simmer. Slowly pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg bowl and whisk to combine. This will temper the eggs so they don’t curdle.

Step 11

Pour this egg mixture now back into the pan and place onto a low heat, whisking as it thickens. Add the vanilla extract now. You should be left with a really thick and creamy custard. Place into a bowl and cover in cling film. Place into the fridge to cool completely.

Step 12

Stir the custard with a whisk to smooth out any lumps. Place a circular nozzle into a piping bag and add your custard. Pipe fat little dots into your pastry case (see video below how I did it).

Step 13

Add the finely chopped strawberries into a mixing bowl along with the sugar, orange zest and juice. Allow to stand for 5-8 minutes then add them on top of the pastry case. Crush the meringue with your hands and scatter over the strawberries. Serve immediately and eat on the day.