I first discovered Key Lime Pie like most British people via the television, it was something American’s ate and it looked yum. I was overjoyed to find it in M&S years later and happily bought myself a few pies over the years as a treat. When my children were little, food Goddess Nigella, my absolute food hero, included a recipe in one of her cookbooks. After reading, and re-reading the recipe a few times, I decided to brave making it from scratch. It was delicious. A bit of a faff, but worth it.

I can still remember my novice moves in the kitchen, eagerly reading the recipe and following it word for word. Years later I tried to replicate this on the TV show Cookery School with one of my fellow contestants. I thoughtI was giving him a hand on an invention test and told him to mix limes with condensed milk. He did and produced an amazing pie. Unfortunately the judges thought it would give someone a heart attack with the amount of condensed milk and cream in it, it didn’t score highly! Like I’ve said before, more mistakes than celebrations in my kitchen!

This recipe came to me when browsing a second hand book shop and finding a pristine copy of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. I flicked through the pages and saw many recipes I liked, so I snapped it up. A friend of mine had made this recipe time to time over the years for celebrations and it always looked gorgeous.

I was super keen to have my own copy of the book! I am a big fan of second hand books, if you can always buy a used one. You not only get the book, you are recycling!

Oh and the pie? I’ve mad eit a few times and the best tip I can give is that you can freeze it! Yes, you can. So there’s no need to eat the whole pie, unless of course that’s your thing, self-care remember! However that shows up for you!