Make the pastry. You can use a food processor if you like. So, either rub or blitz the flour and butter until you have crumbs. Add the sugar, almonds and egg yolks and either knead or pulse into a dough – you might need a dash of cold milk to bind it together. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stone the cherries. Toss with a squeeze of lemon juice and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour to a paste with 2 tablespoons water and set aside.

Put the sugar in a wide pan, scrape in the vanilla seeds (if using vanilla extract don’t add it at this stage. Over a low heat dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat and cook, without stirring, until you have a dark caramel. Lower the heat and add the cherries and liqueur, if using. At first the mixture will seem unpromising, but as the cherries cook and their juices start to run, it will loosen up. Once you have a loose, dark compote(Don’t cook them to a pulp, you need to be able to see they’re cherries), add the cornflour mix and stir until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Set aside to cool, do NOT attempt to use the fill whilst still warm or your pastry will be soggy.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/80°C Fan/gas 6 and pop in a baking sheet to heat up. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the pastry and use to line a 20cm x 4cm deep pie dish or fluted tart tin. Fill with the cherry mixture.

Roll out the rest of the pastry to make a lid, then brush the edge of the base with water. Lay the lid on top of the pie and crimp the edges to seal. Brush with a little cold water and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Transfer the pie to the hot baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Serve while hot or cold with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.