I got this shortcrust pastry recipe out of the late great Gary Rhodes book, New British Classics. If you ever need any proper British classic recipes, I recommend the main man, Gary Rhodes.

Gary Rhodes first book, Rhodes Around Britain, was my first ever cookbook that I bought and one that inspired me to take cooking seriously as an art form and how to give people joy eating good British food.

Shortcrust pastry

This homemade shortcrust pastry recipe is so flaky and delicious to eat, especially with this creamy mushroom, butternut squash and blue cheese filling.

The pastry just takes 5 minutes to make. Rub the flour and butter until a crumble texture, then gently combine with the eggs and water. Don’t overwork the pastry. Wrap in clingfilm and let rest for 30 to 60 minutes.

Once rested, roll out on a floured service, and fit into a tart case and bake blind for 20 minutes and an extra 5 minute without the beans.

Once your tarts are baking, it’s time to make the creamy mushroom and butternut squash filling.

Dice your butternut squash into cubes. Add a little butter into a pan and cook your butternut squash until golden and soft, take out to cool. Now cook your diced onion, garlic and mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper. Place back your cooked butternut squash in with your mushrooms, add your cream and mix well.

Trim your tartlet cases around the edges and take them out of the tart cases, ready for filling.

Now for the simple part, just fill your tartlet cases with the creamy mushroom and butternut squash mix. Add a slice of blue cheese on top and bake for 3 minutes, just enough to melt a little and serve.

Beautiful and creamy mushroom tarts. The mushrooms take on a meaty texture, a really indulgent and fulfilling vegetarian dish.

Serve with some sliced tomatoes and pesto to decorate. Pure joy.