Shortcrust pastry is the most widely used pastry in savoury and sweet baking, made simply from fat rubbed into flour with a little water to bind. The fat coats the flour particles, limiting gluten development, which gives the baked pastry its characteristic short, crumbly texture that breaks cleanly rather than stretching. Ratios vary: a rich shortcrust for tarts uses more butter, a plainer one for meat pies uses lard or dripping. The keys are cold ingredients, a light hand to avoid developing gluten, and resting before rolling to prevent shrinkage. Blind-baked for custard tarts, filled raw for pies, shortcrust is the versatile foundation of the baker’s repertoire.