Michelle Darmody: How to bake sweet short-crust pastry — and the mistakes to avoid

"Knowing how to make a good pastry opens up a lot of delicious possibilities! The same pastry can be used for all sorts of tarts and pies, big and small."

Pic: iStock

There is an old saying when someone shakes your hand, and it feels cold, they say that you would make a good baker. There is a reason for this. 

The key to good pastry is to keep it cold. If you naturally have warm hands, you can run them under a cold tap for a couple of seconds, pat them dry, and then get making your pastry.