Ingredients

For the Pastry:

100g butter
200g plain flour
45ml water
Pinch of salt

For the Filling:

25g butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
250g fresh spinach, blanched and chopped
100g mushrooms, chopped
100g feta, crumbled
200g mild Cheddar cheese, grated
75g fresh Parmesan, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 eggs, beaten
250ml milk
Fresh parsley to garnish

Method

To make the Pastry:

1. Cut the 100g of butter into 1cm pieces and place in a bowl. The secret of good shortcrust pastry is to have the butter and the bowl ice cold, so that the butter does not melt. Place the bowl with the pieces of butter in the fridge for half an hour.

2. Add the flour to the butter with a pinch of salt and blend them together to form a crumbly texture. This is best done in a blender to keep the ingredients cold and stop the butter from melting.

3. Make a well in the flour mixture and add a few ml of the water, mix the ingredients together gently by hand. Add more of the water and 'mop it up' by turning the mixture until you have a ball of dough. It shouldn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes. Cover the dough closely with cling film and place the bowl of dough in the fridge for half an hour to relax.

4. Place the dough on a floured board and press a floured rolling pin into it to form a disc. Roll out the dough changing direction and turning it over until it is about the thickness of a pound coin and the right size to fit your dish.

Making the Quiche:

1. Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5. Line the fluted dish with the shortcrust pastry, cutting off any excess and pinching the edges. Blind bake the pastry for about 15/20 minutes so it is just turning golden.

2. In a medium frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in the pepper and mushrooms, and sauté until most of the water from the vegetables has evaporated. Add the chopped spinach. Remove from the heat and add the feta and ⅔ of the Cheddar. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared pastry-lined dish.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry base, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove and sprinkle the top with remaining Cheddar and the Parmesan. Bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in centre. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.