Pistachio, almond, lemon & rose baklava

• ground almonds↗125g g
• pistachios↗300g g

  chopped in a food processor (some roughly, some finely)

• lemon↗1

  finely zested and juiced, plus 4 broad strips of zest

• granulated sugar↗500g g

  plus 3 tbsp

• butter↗200g g

  melted, plus extra for the tin

• filo pastry↗2 x 250g packs of

  (you won’t use all the sheets)

• rosewaterabout 2 tsp tsp

  (add to taste as brands vary in strength)

• rose petalshandful of pink

  unsprayed (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Mix the ground almonds and chopped pistachios in a bowl, reserving 3 tbsp of the pistachios to garnish. Stir in the finely grated lemon zest, the 3 tbsp of sugar and 5 tbsp of the melted butter. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the inside of a roasting or baking tin (30 x 20cm) with the butter.

2. 2

   Whatever size of filo sheets you have, cut them to fit the tin. Lay one sheet of filo in it, butter it, and keep going until you have 6 sheets of filo. Spoon the nut mixture on top and press down with the back of a spoon, like making a biscuit base, then put 8 filo sheets on the top, again buttering each one. Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond trellis on top, then bake in the oven for 1 hr until golden brown.

3. 3

   Make the syrup by putting the sugar, lemon juice and strips of zest into a saucepan with 250ml water. Bring to a boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve, then turn the heat down a little and simmer for 10 mins. The mixture will look quite syrupy. Remove the lemon zest and add the rosewater to taste.

4. 4

   While the baklava and the syrup are still warm, pour the syrup carefully over the pastry. Return the baklava to the oven for 5 more mins.

5. 5

   Sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the baklava, then leave to cool overnight – so that the baklava can absorb all the syrup. If you’re making this for a special occasion, it’s nice to scatter over some torn rose petals (they have to be small pieces) just before serving.