Add the dry ingredients (flour, icing sugar and desiccated coconut) to a bowl and mix together.
150 g plain flour, 50 g icing sugar, 20 g desiccated coconut
Add the vegetable shortening and margarine and rub briefly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
50 g vegetable shortening, 50 g dairy free margarine
Add the water and bring the dough together into a smooth ball. If it is not coming together then add another tsp of water. Don’t overwork the dough.
1 tbsp water
Wrap your pastry or cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour to fully chill.
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5) and set aside six 10cm / 4" non-stick individual pie/tart baking tins.
Lightly flour a smooth surface and rolling pin.
Roll the pastry out nice and thinly (around 1/4 cm or 1/8") and place over your pie dishes. Using a small ball of pastry wrapped in cling film, press the pastry case down gently so it sits neatly into the edges of each dish. Trim off the edges so there is no pastry overhanging.
The desiccated coconut gives the pastry a slightly crumbly texture which is DELICIOUS. You may find it breaks or cracks as your roll it - don’t worry about this you can just press it into the dish instead and patch it up as necessary.
Prick the base and sides of the case with a fork and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is just starting to colour and is cooked through.
Once the pastry cases are baked, set them aside to cool completely and make your candied coconut and lemon curd.