Perfect peach pie

Instructions

1. Start by making the pastry. In a large bowl, combine the flour, caster sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the butter in small chunks or cubes, and rub it into the flour with your palms facing upwards, rubbing from your little finger to your thumb, until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the milk, and combine it with the crumb using a knife. You should be able to bring the pastry together in a ball – if it's too dry, add a little more milk.
3. Bring the dough together and form it into a rough disc. The less you handle the pastry the better, so don't spend too long on this step. Wrap it in cling film, and allow to rest and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Once the pastry has chilled, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6, and lightly grease a pie dish.
5. To make the filling, cut a cross into the top of each peach, place them in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water. Leave for one minute, then plunge into a bowl of iced water.
6. Using a knife or your fingers, carefully peel off the skin, which should come away easily.
7. Stone the peaches, slice into wedges, and place in a bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients, and stir to combine.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge, divide it in half, and roll one half between two sheets of parchment until it‘s the thickness of £1 coin – about 5 mm.
9. Lay the dough in your greased pie dish and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim the edges, leaving about one inch of excess dough hanging over the top of the dish.
10. Roll out the remaining dough to the same thickness, and cut it into 12 strips, as evenly as possible – although there's no need for them to be perfect!
11. Fill the pie base with the peach filling then, starting from the edge, lay six strips of dough over the pie filling, leaving about a ½- to a 1-inch gap in between, depending on the width of your strips. Use the shorter lengths on the outer edge, and longer ones in the middle.
12. Folding back three alternate strips, lay another strip of dough across in the opposite direction, before folding the strips back in place. Repeat with the remaining strips of dough, alternating as you go. This should create a lattice pattern.
13. Roll up the over-hanging dough to form a thick edge to the pie, giving it a squidge down to join, then push the dough together using your fingers to crimp the edges. Feel free to do this how you wish, or simply press down with the back of a fork.
14. Brush the pastry top with the remaining plant-based milk, sprinkle with the coarse brown sugar, and place in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and lightly golden and the filling is bubbling.
15. Serve with plant-based custard, ice cream, or cream. Delicious!