Start by making the pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl and cut the butter into 1cm/½ inch chunks. Add the butter to the bowl and season with salt and pepper , then use your fingertips to rub the fat into the flour. Shake your bowl and any big bits will rise to the top. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the water, a little at a time, mixing as you go until the mixture comes together into a dough.

Roll out the dough on a flour-dusted surface until it is a circle large enough to generously line the base and sides of a 18cm/7 inch pie tin, and about 3mm/1/8 inch thick. Line the tin, then roll a rolling pin over the top of the pie tin and it will allow the overhang to perfectly drop off. Put the remaining pastry to one side for doing the top of the pie later.

Add a layer of paper liner, grease proof paper, or baking paper to your pie tin over the pastry. Then cover with a full layer of baking beans. Then lower the pie tin into the air fryer or the rack for your Ninja Foodi. Press bake or air fry and set the temperature to 160ºC/320ºF and blind bake for 30 minutes.

When the air fryer beeps, remove the pie crust, put the baking beans and the paper liner to one side and you will have a golden pie crust ready for its fillings.

Slice the bacon into 2cm/¾ inch squares, then put it into the air fryer basket and spread it out so that it cooks evenly. Set the temperature to 200ºC/400ºF and cook for 8 minutes. We did this on a paper liner to make clean up easier.

When the air fryer beeps, check the bacon for crispness and add a couple of extra minutes if it’s not crispy enough for you. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with kitchen/paper towel to drain excess fat from the bacon.

Crack the eggs into a mixing jug and beat with a fork. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg to a small bowl and set aside (this will be your egg wash for the top of the pie). Add the milk, along with the parsley, thyme and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper.

Scatter the bacon pieces evenly into the pie case, then pour in the egg mixture.

Roll out the remaining pastry to make a circle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Place the lid on top of your pie and crimp the pastry together around the edges to seal. Finish by brushing a coating of egg wash over the top of the pie and also use scissors to create a pie hole in the top for the steam to escape from. Gently place the pie into the air fryer basket or the rack if using a Ninja Foodi, set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and cook for 25 minutes.

Then check the doneness of the pie and add a little longer if needed.