To make the pastry, sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together until a dough ball is formed.

Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with some flour; roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.

Line the tin with the pastry and press gently into the flutes, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas Mark 5.

Bake the pastry case blind for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/150° fan/Gas Mark 3.

Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.

Place 2/3 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the hot-smoked salmon and pour over the milk mixture.

Arrange the asparagus on top in the shape of a wheel and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.

Cook's Notes

To bake blind. Place a piece of baking parchment into the pastry-lined tin and cover evenly with ceramic baking beans. Baking blind partially cooks the pastry before the filling is added which sets the shape and ensures the pastry base cooks thoroughly.

Pre-formed 20cm baking paper cake tin liners are excellent for baking blind in the 20cm Quiche Flan tin, simply place the liner on top of the pastry and fill with baking beans.