Liam Charles’ recipe for rhubarb, apple and almond turnovers

These pockets of goodness are seasonal, tasty and relatively simple to make. The flaky pastry will make people think you’ve spent hours upon hours creating the turnovers filled with tart rhubarb and apple. Nope, not you. You’re smart. Enjoy with a bit of double cream on the side, or maybe even some custard – up to you.

Rhubarb, apple and almond turnovers

Prep 50 min, plus chilling
Cook 25 min
Makes 6

For the pastry
300g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine sea salt
50g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
190g butter, left in the the freezer overnight
120ml cold water
1 egg, beaten

For the filling
10g cornflour
75ml water
200g rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks
1 bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks
1 granny smiths, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks
50g caster sugar
25g butter
½ tsp almond extract

For the pastry, put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt and sugar. Grate in half the butter and give everything a quick toss. Repeat with the rest of the butter, then mix with a table or palette knife until all the butter is well coated.

Slowly pour in the cold water, stirring constantly, until the dough comes together. Divide into two squares, wrap and put in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the cornflour with 25ml water to make a loose paste. Put all the filling ingredients plus 50ml water in a saucepan, set it over a medium heat and cook until the apples begin to soften – add a splash more water if it looks a little dry – then leave to cool completely.

To assemble, lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry until it’s slightly thicker than a £1 coin. Cut out six 10-12cm squares, gathering together the offcuts and re-rolling as necessary.

Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the filling on to one half of each pastry square. Brush the edges lightly with beaten egg, then fold the other pastry half over the filling to make a closed triangular pie and press the edges together with the back of a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and filling. Carefully transfer the pastries to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Brush the pies with egg wash, sprinkle over a little caster sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.