Cooking and baking is more than merely following a recipe. It’s about creating something special, something that has a bit of soul to it.

Though having a good starting place is important, the right basic recipe equals a strong foundation. From there you can build your own creation an marvel in your own brilliance.

The following is a very basic and very forgiving pie recipe. Treat it nicely and it will behave in turn...
It can; cure a bad day, fix a broken heart, help clean the fridge of left over morsels, cure writers block...

No precise kitchen alchemy here, if you don’t like coconut use floor or ground almonds to make up the difference. Running low on baking powder? It’ll even survive with it omitted.

• 125g Butter
  
• 1/2 cup Sugar, light brown is my preference
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/4 cups Plain Flour
• 3/4 cups Desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Fruit- Well drained tinned apricots, berries, plums or anything else you have lying around the kitchen. Have some spare strawberry jam and same apples? Stick them in. or maybe some peaches with roast almonds. it’s your creation you decide...

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan, then take of the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
Add the other ingredients (apart from the fruit) and mix into a nice smooth dough. If it looks too buttery, add a little more flour.

Find a suitable dish and grease it slightly. A pie dish or a cake tin are ideal, though any oven proof dish will do if your kitchen is less equipped.

Press about 2/3 of the dough across the bottom and around 1cm up the sides. If you’re not stretched for time, let it form in the fridge foe about 10 minutes.

Now fill the base with your fruit of choice. Use the remaining dough to crumble over the top of the fruit.

Now bake at 180C in the oven for about half an hour, until the dough is golden brown, but not too dried out.

Now serve with a little icing sugar across the top, or maybe some cream or yogurt, it’s up to you.
While it’s best enjoyed straight from the oven, it will store in the fridge, though chances are it won’t last long...