Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and take the pastry out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you begin.

Mix the pesto and ricotta cheese together in a bowl and leave to one side.

Unroll the pastry, leaving it on the paper & cut in half to make 2 rectangles of pastry.

Mark out the shape of a Christmas tree on one of the pastry rectangles using a knife to lightly score the surface (you can use a template if you have one).

Spread the pesto and ricotta mixture over the Christmas tree area of the pastry and sprinkle over 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.

Put the other sheet of pastry on the top of the filling (like a sandwich) and then cut the whole thing into the shape of the Christmas tree.

Leaving a 2 cm strip in the middle of the tree, cut strips from the centre of the tree trunk to the edge for the tree’s branches.

Twist each strip of pastry 3 or 4 times into a spiral shape.

Lift the tree onto a baking tray with the paper still underneath.

Brush the tree with the beaten egg, then sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle of the tree trunk.

Cut the tomatoes in half and use them to decorate the tree like baubles on the branches.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and the pastry is cooked through.