How To Make Flaky Pastry

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For a decent batch you need:
A basin to make it in
8ozs (224g) plain flour
3ozs (84g) lard
3ozs (84g) margarine
pinch of salt (not too much they say it increase your blood pressure whoever "they" is)
Ľpt (125ml) cold water (roughly you might need a bit less)

What you do is

Leave the margarine and the lard in the refrigerator for a while before you start. Get a sharp knife a clean chopping board and a jug of just boiled water.

Place the margarine and the lard on the chopping board dip the sharpknife in the hot water and proceed to cut up the fats into neat 1inch cubes. Each time the knife starts to stick, dip it in the hot water again cut all the fats up in this way. And divide it into four equal piles.

Sieve the flour and salt into a basin.

Rub one of the fat piles into the flour.

Using the water/milk mixture add enough of it to the fat and flour mixture so that it goes to a stiff texture.

Turn out the mixture onto a clean floured chopping board (not one you have just chopped onions on) Knead the mixture lightly.

Roll out the kneaded dough into an oblong shape and place one of the fat piles spread over three quarters of the rolled out surface leaving one third clear.

Fold the edge without fat over the centre and bring the top third down over the middle section. Done correctly, this forms layers of fat and dough at alternate levels.

Let the pastry rest in a cool place for a while, in fact have a rest yourself. (listen to the "Archers" or something).

Half turn the pastry and roll it out again to an oblong like before.

Repeat the fat inclusion process and let the finished result rest for a further ten minutes.

You should have one fat pile left by now. Do the final fat inclusion and rolling process in the same way as just described.

Put the finished dough in the refrigerator to firm up for at least 15 minutes before using it.