Valentine Warner’s onion baked in pastry

Method

• step 1

  Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Peel then top and tail each onion, cutting away a little more than one normally would. Then, with two deep cuts, not quite going all the way through the onion, make a cross in the top of each.

• step 2

  Divide the pastry into four, roll each piece out on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin then cut this into two squares that are considerably wider all round than the onion. Have the beaten eggs and milk in a bowl nearby with a wee brush.

• step 3

  Sit one of the onions onto one of the pastry squares. then wedge approximately 15g butter into the slits in the onion. Sprinkle ½ tsp sugar, some salt and a really big grind of black pepper over it. With the egg mix, paint all the way round the edges of the pastry square.

• step 4

  Picking up another pastry square, put it over the top of the onion and push the edges gently on to those of the bottom pastry square. Crimp the edges with a fork. Prick a small hole in the top. repeat with the other onions. Before putting them in the oven, paint the pastry with the egg wash and this will gloss them up something shiny.

• step 5

  Line an oven tray with some baking paper and lift the wrapped onions onto it. Cook them for approximately 45 minutes until they are dark golden.