Mary Berry’s quiche Lorraine is a shortcrust pastry case filled with bacon, onion, Cheddar, crème fraîche and double cream. It bakes at 190°C (170°C fan/Gas 5) for 25 minutes and comes in two sizes: a 20cm tin for 6 or a 28cm tin for 12.
Berry co-wrote this with Lucy Young in Cook Up a Feast (2010). Their headnote is confident: “our quiche lorraine, with added parsley, has the edge, we think.” The twist is flat-leaf parsley folded through the filling, which lifts what could be a heavy dish. She also uses crème fraîche alongside cream for a slight tang.
Blind-baking the pastry properly is what separates a crisp quiche from a soggy one. Berry bakes with beans at 200°C first, removes them, then drops the temperature to 160°C to “dry out for 5-10 minutes.” That drying step gives you a firm base that holds up under wet filling.
Mary Berry Quiche Lorraine
Course: BreakfastCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutes50
minutes645
kcalFrom Cook Up a Feast (2010), co-written with Lucy Young. A parsley-spiked version of the classic, using both crème fraîche and double cream for a tangy, rich custard filling.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
175g (6 oz) plain flour, plus a little extra to dust
85g (3 oz) cold butter, cubed
1 egg
- For the filling:
A knob of butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
225g (8 oz) unsmoked bacon, snipped into small pieces
1 heaped tbsp freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
75g (2½ oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
200ml tub full-fat crème fraîche
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Make the pastry: Put the flour and butter into a processor and whiz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and whiz again until you have a smooth dough. Dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough lightly. Roll the dough out and use to line the flan tin. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.
- Blind-bake: Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6 (400°F). Pop a baking sheet in to get hot. Line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with dried beans, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, lower the temperature to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3 (325°F), and return the pastry case to the oven to dry out for 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven up to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5 (375°F).
- Cook the filling: Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and bacon, and fry over a high heat for 2 minutes or until starting to crisp. Cover with a lid, lower the heat, and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes or until the onion is tender and the bacon cooked. Spoon into the pastry case and spread out evenly. Scatter with half the parsley and half the cheese.
- Make the custard: Put the eggs, crème fraîche, and double cream into a mixing bowl and whisk by hand until combined. Add the remaining parsley and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour into the flan case and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 25 minutes (30-35 minutes for the larger size) or until golden brown and the egg mixture is just set.
FAQs
Why does Berry use crème fraîche and double cream together?
Most quiche recipes use one or the other, but Berry combines a full 200ml tub of crème fraîche with 150ml of double cream. The crème fraîche brings a slight acidity that stops the filling from tasting flat and heavy. The double cream provides richness and helps the custard set smoothly.
I tested this with just double cream once and the filling was noticeably blander. That tang from the crème fraîche works like a squeeze of lemon in a risotto: you can’t taste it directly, but you’d miss it if it wasn’t there. Berry uses full-fat crème fraîche, not half-fat, because the lower-fat version can split during baking.
Can I skip the blind-baking step?
Berry is clear that the pastry needs pre-baking for a crisp base, and her AGA instructions actually confirm why. For AGA owners, she says to put the unbaked pastry case directly on the oven floor, which provides intense bottom heat that mimics blind-baking. Without that direct heat, the base stays raw under the wet filling.
If you skip the blind-bake in a conventional oven, the base will be pale and doughy where the custard sits on it. Berry’s two-stage process, first with beans then without, takes an extra 25 minutes but it’s the difference between a quiche you’d serve to guests and one you wouldn’t.
How does this compare to Berry’s other quiche recipes?
Berry has four quiche recipes across her books, each with a different filling character. Her Leek and Bacon Quiche in Absolute Favourites (2015) uses Dijon mustard spread on the base, which gives a sharper flavour. Her Spinach and Gruyère Quiche in Mary Berry Cooks (2014) swaps the Cheddar for Gruyère.
This Lorraine version is the most traditional and the best starting point if you’ve never made quiche before. The parsley is Berry’s own signature addition. For something lighter with no pastry at all, her crustless quiche from Simple Comforts (2020) uses just eggs, cream and Gruyère in a cake tin.
What is the best way to pour the filling without spilling?
Berry includes a specific tip for this in Absolute Favourites (2015) that applies to all her quiches. She says “pour half the egg mixture into the case, then place the tin on the oven shelf, near the front, ready for baking. Pour in the remaining egg mix while the quiche is in situ on the shelf.”
This is a much better method than trying to carry a full, sloshing quiche across the kitchen. I do this every time now, regardless of the recipe. Pull the shelf out, place the tin, pour, then slide the shelf back in. You save yourself a mess and the filling sits perfectly level.
Why does Berry use unsmoked bacon?
Berry specifies unsmoked bacon for this quiche, which keeps the filling mild so the other flavours come through. Smoked bacon has a stronger, more assertive taste that can dominate the delicate egg custard and mask the parsley and Cheddar.
That said, her crustless quiche in Simple Comforts uses smoked bacon because that version has no pastry and needs a bolder filling to stand alone. If you prefer a smokier quiche lorraine, you can swap it, but reduce the salt in your seasoning since smoked bacon is typically saltier than unsmoked.
How far ahead can I make this quiche?
Berry says up to two days in the fridge, and she also gives a freeze time of up to two months, which is generous for a quiche. Wrap it in cling film and foil before freezing to prevent freezer burn on the pastry edges.
Reheat from chilled at 160°C/140°C fan for 15-20 minutes, loosely covered with foil. From frozen, defrost overnight in the fridge first rather than reheating from frozen, which risks a soggy base. The pastry holds up better than you’d expect because the blind-baking gives it a dry, firm structure that resists moisture from the filling.
