Quiche Lorraine anyone?

Actually it's a Smoked Ham and Vintage Cheddar Quiche, but you get the drift.I cooked up this lovely quiche during the week and it was delicious - far nicer than a store-bought quiche. Go on, give it a try. You know you want to.

You'll need:
200g smoked ham (splurge and go for the fresh off the bone stuff - none of that nasty pre-packaged pseudo-ham), chopped
1/2 cup of medium grated vintage cheddar cheese
300g cream (you can use the 'lite, thickened' variety here if it makes you feel better)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4-5 eggs (depending on weight per egg. For small eggs use 5, for big use 4)
1 sheet frozen or fresh shortcrust pastry (or you could be really fancy and make your own)

You'll do:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Fit pastry to a fluted quiche baking dish (approx 26cm across). Fill with blind baking bits (ceramic beads, rice, whatever you use) and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove beans and bake for a further five minutes until pastry starts to turn a bit golden.

Reduce oven to 160 degrees c.

Sprinkle ham and then cheese over base.

Whisk eggs, cream and parsley together in a small mixing bowl. Pour over ham and cheese.

Carefully place in middle shelf of oven and cook for approx 40 minutes or until quiche is mostly set. Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes.

Serve hot, warm or cold (great for picnics) with a simple garden salad and some crusty bread if desired. Serves 5-6. Leftovers should be re-heated gently in a microwave or oven and make an excellent alternative to a sandwich lunch!

Bon appetit!