Careme is not the first handmade, frozen puff pastry product I've tried. But it's a strong contender for the best. In its thawed state, the pastry seems intensely buttery, making this cook initially nervous as to whether it would withstand rolling out - for sausage rolls - or just collapse under the weight of all that pure Belgian butter.

 

In fact, minimal rolling was required, and after a sprinkling of flour on the work surface as per the instructions, it behaved perfectly - and my sausage rolls tasted divine. Careme, a small family company established in the Barossa Valley last year, is soon to release two new shortcrust pastry products, too. As someone whose favourite part of the pastry-making slog has always been the part where you get out the rolling pin for the very last time, I can't wait to try them, too.