A very nice quiche

Of all the options for using up the remaining ham from my hock I chose a cheddar and ham quiche and a split pea and ham soup made with the scraps and the bone. The quiche should serve 6 although the two of us managed to demolish half of it yesterday, the soup 4. That makes 12 portions in total from the one £1.89 joint of meat. Result!

Here's the recipe. I'm torn about whether to advise making your own pastry. It has a better taste and texture and is cheaper than buying it ready made but not by a huge amount and it does take a fair bit of time. But the filling knocks spots off any shop-bought quiche.

Cheddar, ham and onion quiche
I suggest cheddar, ham and onion but you could vary this in an infinite number of ways depending on what ingredients you have to hand

Serves 4-6
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 medium onion (about 175g), peeled and roughly chopped
A handful of wild garlic, shredded (optional)
375g shop-bought or home-made shortcrust pastry
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
225ml single cream or cream and milk, mixed
100-110g ham, ideally off the bone, cut into small pieces
125g mature cheddar, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400° F/Gas 5.Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat, add the oil and butter then, when it has melted fry the chopped onion for about 5 minutes until soft. Chuck in the wild garlic (which I used because I still had some), stir and set aside.

Unroll the pastry, if ready rolled, or roll it out in a circle big enough to fit a 25cm/10in diameter flan tin. Carefully lower the pastry into the tin, pressing it into the sides, trim any overhanging edges and lightly prick the base with the prongs of a fork. Line the pastry case with a piece of foil or greaseproof paper weighed down with some baking beans and bake the pastry shell for about 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for another 4 minutes. Brush a little of the beaten egg over the part-cooked pastry base and return to the oven for another minute or two. (This stops it going soggy)

Reduce the heat to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Add the milk and cream to the remaining eggs and season with salt and pepper. Scatter half the grated cheese over the base of the tart then sprinkle over the onions and ham and top with the remaining cheese. Carefully pour the egg and cream mixture over the top making sure that it is distributed evenly. Put the flan tin on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes until the top is puffed up and lightly browned. Leave for 10-15 minutes before serving or cool completely and serve cold.