Ultimate lemon meringue pie

Begin by making the pastry. Whisk together the butter and sugar then mix in the egg. Fold in the flour and salt and bring together but do not overwork. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour in the fridge

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

Once the pastry has rested, roll it out to a thickness of 3mm and use it to line a 24cm baking dish, letting the edges hang over the edges – these will be trimmed later. Make a double layer of cling film, larger than the dish, and lay it over the pastry

Fill with baking beads or rice, fold over the cling film and bake for 10-15 minutes until the pastry on the outer edges is crisp. Remove the baking beads and cling film and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the base of the pastry is also crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool

Use a small serrated knife to trim the edges of the pastry in a gentle sawing motion so as not to shatter it

For the lemon curd, place the lemon juice and zest in a pan and bring to the boil. Dissolve the cornflour in 80ml water

Mix together the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour and stir into the boiling lemon juice, whisking until thickened. Remove from the heat, beat in the butter a little at a time and cover with cling film while you make the meringue

Place the egg whites in a large clean bowl and begin to whisk with an electric whisk. Start adding the sugar a spoonful at a time until you have a thick, glossy meringue

To assemble the pie, pour the lemon curd into the pastry case and smooth over until it is even. Spoon in the meringue, working from the outside in so as to create a seal around the edges of the pastry. Swirl the meringue around as you go to ensure you get the nice crispy edges that everyone loves

Bake for 10–15 minutes in the oven, or until the meringue is golden brown and crispy

Leave for 30 minutes before serving or if you prefer to eat it cold, chill in the fridge for a few hours