To make the pastry put the plain flour and caster sugar into a bowl and stir together, then add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs
Add the milk or water, add it a bit at a time as you may not need all of it (or you may need a little more), and bring it together into a dough. Wrap it in cling film and chill for 30 minutes
Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
Roll out the pastry onto a floured surface (you can roll it out onto cling film or a silicone mat to make it easier to lift up) and line a 9 inch tart tin. Trim the edges and use a fork to prick the bottom of the pastry
Scrunch up some baking paper and line the pastry, then add baking beans. Bake it for 15 minutes
Take the pastry out of the oven and remove the baking beans and paper
Bake the pastry again for 10 minutes on the same temperature, or until golden brown all over and cooked through. Set aside while you make the filling
If you like, make pastry leaves with any leftover pastry cuttings, brush them with beaten egg and bake on a lined baking tray for 10 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool
Reduce the oven temperature to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4
For the pumpkin pie filling, whisk the eggs and sugar together
Add the double cream and pumpkin puree, and whisk in
Then add the spices and salt and whisk again
Pour the filling into the pie crust, it's easier to put the crust in the tin on the oven shelf and pour in from there as it'll stop any spills as you lift it from the work surface to the oven
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is a rich orange colour and only has a very slight wobble to it. It will look puffed up when you remove it from the oven, but it will sink back down and flatten out as it cools
Leave to cool fully, then put in the fridge to chill
Serve with whipped cream, store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 3 days
Video
Notes
If you live in a country where pumpkin spice mix is readily available, you can swap the spices listed in the recipe for 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix