The secret to quiches is to be patient, to remove from the oven and leave to firm up as it cools for 10-15 minutes. The trouble I have with this is patience, which I am low on. As soon as it comes out of the oven I just can’t wait to slice into it.

Ingredients
3 large eggs 
300ml double cream  
25g chives, finely chopped  
250g ham, cut into smallish chunks (or baco lardons, lightly fried until cooked but not crispy 
125g Cheddar cheese, 65g grated and 60g cut into small chunks 
Salt 
Pepper  

Cheese pastry 
175g plain flour  
½ tsp salt  
½ tsp mustard powder  
75g Cheddar cheese, grated  
85g butter, cut into cubes  
3-5 tbsp cold water 

You will need a loose bottom flan tin, measuring either 20cm if deep or 23cm if not deep 

Method
Put the flour, salt and mustard powder into a mixing bowl and stir with a fork.  Add the grated cheese and stir together.  Add the diced butter and carefully stir again with your fork and then incorporate the butter and flour together until they look like breadcrumbs. Add 3 tbsps water and try to bring together as a dough.  You might need more water - this is not an exact science and depends on your flour, how warm it is etc etc. I have made this and used 3 tbsp and as much as 4½ tbsp.  You want the dough to just come together picking up all of the flour from the bottom but you don’t want it to be wet or overworked.  When you add your water, put your dominate hand into the bowl and ‘stir’ around the bowl with your hands twice.  If the dough is still dry then add 1 more tbsp and push the dough against the bottom of the bowl trying to collect the flour.  If there is still uncollected flour at the bottom then add as you go slowly, ½ tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated. Gently knead a few times to bring it together properly.  Cover in clingfilm and put into the fridge for 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes lightly flour your board and your rolling pin and roll out the pastry to the thickness of £1 coin and large enough to cover the base and sides of your quiche tin.  Once you have rolled, lightly dust the top and the rolling pin and very carefully wrap the pastry around the rolling pin, pick up and roll out over the top of the quiche tin and gently push the pastry into the case. As the pastry cools in the fridge it will shrink so don’t yet trim the pastry.  Take a fork and gently prick all over - this keeps the pastry flat while it cooks.  Carefully put on to a baking tray and place back into the fridge for another 20 minutes and preheat your oven to 180c. 

Take the pastry out of the fridge still on the baking tray and with a knife trim the pastry to the top of the quiche tin.  Take a sheet of greaseproof paper, scrunch it up and flatten back out and put it over the pastry and top with either baking beans or rice.  Bake like this for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes remove the beans and paper and put back into the oven for another 10-12 minutes until starting to go golden. 

When you remove the tart case from the oven, gently mix the grated cheese, cream, chives, salt, pepper and eggs.  When the tart case is cooked, take it out of the oven on the baking tray and put the ham and cheese chunks over the base.  Pour the egg mix into the base carefully until almost at the top.  It might be easier to fill to three quarters full and finish pouring into the the case when it is back into the oven so it does not spill.  Fill until almost at the top.  Bake for 20-30 until it is golden and just set.