Put the full-fat milk (600ml) into a saucepan and heat very gently until warmed but not quite boiling.

Meanwhile, separate 8 eggs, putting the yolks into a large bowl (you can freeze the egg whites to use another day if you don't need them).

Add the caster sugar (60g) to the egg yolks and whisk until combined.

Add the plain flour (60g) and vanilla extract (1 tbsp) to the egg yolks and whisk until combined.

Once the milk is warm, remove it from the heat and gradually add it to the other ingredients a bit at a time, whisking in each addition of milk thoroughly before adding more.

Once combined, put the mixture into the pan and return to a very gentle heat. Continue to cook, whisking constantly until the custard is thick. You want the custard to be much thicker than you would use for pouring on a dessert, as you move your whisk it should leave a clear trail that doesn't immediately disappear. You must keep the custard moving constantly to avoid it burning or going lumpy.

Once the custard has thickened pour it into a bowl or jug and cover with clingfilm. It's important that the top of the custard is in full contact with the clingfilm to prevent a skin forming while the custard cools.

Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Sift the plain flour (275g) into a large bowl.

Add the caster sugar (40g).

Cut the butter (125g) into cubes and add to the bowl.

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs - I find this easier to do if I have cold hands as it helps to keep butter firmer.

Once the mixture is the consistency of breadcrumbs, add the egg to the mixture.

Mix the egg into the mixture and them bring it together with your hands - if it seems a bit dry knead it a few times until it comes together. Be careful not to over knead the pastry as this will make it less tender to eat.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and put into the fridge to chill for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan.

Lightly grease the tins with a little vegetable oil

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out until it is very thin (you should be able to see the shadow of your hand through it if you hold it underneath) and slightly larger than the tin (I find about 1x the size of the base + 2x the sides of the tin about right. I find it easier to roll out the pastry for each tart individually. If you have trouble with the pastry sticking to the rolling pin/board have a quick look at my extra tip above.

Gently lift the pastry into the tins and ease it into the edges so that it is in complete contact with the tin.

Trim off the excess pastry at the top of the tin using a sharp knife or rolling your rolling pin across the top.

Use a fork to prick holes across the bottom and up the sides of the pastry - it's essential that the holes go all the way through the pastry as this allows the air to escape while it cooks. If you don't do this you'll find that your pastry domes up at the bottom and the sides collapse.

Place the tins on a baking tray and put in the oven for 12-14 minutes until just golden.

Once cooked, remove from the oven. Leave the tart shells in their tins for at least 10 minutes after removing from the oven to allow them to harden a little. Remove them from the tins and leave them to cool fully on a wire rack.

Evenly distribute the custard between the tart shells and top with the summer fruit of your choice.

Finish with a sprinkling of icing sugar.