Pastel de nata

It was whilst living in a tiny basement flat next to a Portuguese bakery in pre-gentrified Kings Cross when I first came across these custard-pastry delights.

Apparently in pre-18th century Lisbon, monks and nuns used egg white to starch their outfits - and used leftover yolks to make these delicious treats. The original shop now sells over 20,000 a day!

Today I had the pleasure of introducing them to my son. We sat and devoured them in the lovely new ‘Broad Meadow’ in central Oxford.