So the coronation quiche wasn’t to everyone’s tastes. Did you try it? The internet was awash with failed attempts, disapproving foodies and alternative versions. The French didn’t even consider it a quiche, calling it a tart. How dare they.

The wonderful thing about a quiche is that it can be so incredibly versatile. You can use pretty much anything you have leftover in the fridge. At this time of year, using the freshest seasonal greens is not a bad shout, and that is what the King’s choice of quiche did. It’s just that, for me, broad beans anywhere are not that appealing, let alone in a quiche. But that’s my taste, yours will be different.

One thing I discovered when searching out recipes is that people tend to get confused about what a quiche is, especially when compared to a frittata or a tart. I’ve even seen quiches called pizzas and pies. It’s a minefield out there, especially when entering the dark realms of crustless quiches.

For what it’s worth, a quiche normally has a crust and is made with an egg custard. It tends to have more egg than a frittata and is cooked entirely in the oven (at least, that’s my view of things).

Anyway, as a nod to the coronation quiche, here’s a quick and easy recipe for a Quiche Lorraine.

The beauty of this recipe is that you swap out all of the non-essential ingredients and replace them with your own choices, whether that be Stilton and broccoli, summer vegetables, a whole load more meat, or some other combination that may yet thrill the world.

This is adapted from Angela Nilsen’s Ultimate quiche Lorraine, from the BBC Good Food website. It takes 30 minutes to prep, 45 to cook and then 5-10 minutes to chill.

You can make the pastry, or you can buy it from the shop. Up to you. You’ll need shortcrust pastry and for this recipe I am going to assume you have some to hand.

You’ll need

● 200g pack lardons, unsmoked or smoked
● 50g gruyère
● 200ml carton crème fraîche
● 200ml double cream
● 3 eggs, well beaten
● A pinch ground nutmeg.

Method

Line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottomed, fluted flan tin. You can use either a round tin or a 9” square one. The fluted sides help to give the finished quiche a nice appearance.

Ease the pastry into the tin, pressing down gently so that it sits flush to the sides, removing air pockets, but not too firm that you squish the pastry.

Trim the top of the pastry so that it sits slightly above the tin. Gently, prick the base with a fork. It’s a good idea to chill the pastry at this stage, 10 minutes should do the trick.

Heat the oven to 200c (adjust for your oven) with a baking sheet inside.

Line the pastry case with foil and fill with baking beans, pressing them down gently. Bake the pastry in the oven, on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Now, remove foil and beans and bake for a further 4-5 minutes more to get the pastry turning a pale golden colour. Fill any holes or cracks with pastry trimmings.

You can prepare the filling while the pastry cooks.

Heat a small frying pan and fry the lardons for a couple of minutes.

Drain off any liquid that comes out, then continue cooking until the lardons start to colour, but before they go crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Cut three quarters of the gruyère into a small dice, then finely grate the rest. Scatter the diced gruyère and fried lardons over the bottom of the pastry case.

Next, beat the crème fraîche a little and then slowly beat in the double cream, before mixing in three well beaten eggs. Season lightly, adding the pinch of ground nutmeg. Pour three quarters of this filling mixture onto lardons and diced cheese.

Place the tin back on the baking sheet and add the rest of the filling mix, scattering the rest of the cheese on the top.

Turn the oven temperature down slightly to 190C and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until the quiche has become golden and softly set.

Don’t be tempted to tuck in straight away, although I am sure it smells delicious.

It needs to stand for 5 minutes to let it settle before it can be removed from the tin.

Enjoy.