Ready-made pastry

Even in an old GH cookery book I still have (published early 70s) it said that there was no point in going through all the faff of making your own puff pastry when the bought variety was just as good, and very likely better ‘than anything you and your rolling pin can produce’. !

Thanks CanadianGran. I have some feta cheese in the fridge so will give it a go.

I can cook, I can bake but pastry no, I have never successfully made it, despite numerous attempts in my almost seven decades.

Greenfinch, for the filo, I make a spinach/feta roll which is always a hit at gatherings. In fact I had one in the freezer which I had made late last fall for book group that didn't happen, so had it the other day as an appetizer.

I buy a range of ready made.
Puff for chicken and mushroom pies and eccles cakes. Alway the block one to roll out. The sheets are no where near as good.
Filo for samosas
Shortcrust for quiches and sweet tarts. Again, always the block one.
Pizza dough

Useless at making my own.

I don't generally buy pastry but needed to for my granddaughter's Food Tech lesson. Filo was required but the lesson never materialised and so I put it in the freezer.What can I do with it?

Deemed not seemed!!!!

I was very good at pastry until my stomach seemed that I should eat gf. Gf pastry is awful (or mine is!!) so I always but it.

I think people either can or can’t make good pastry and scones. I always could but arthritic hands have stopped me rubbing butter into flour.
I find bought puff pastry (all butter) is excellent but the shortcrust is hard when cooked. I have to confess to liking bought sweet pastry things, like mince pies.

I am notoriously bad with pastry; it is either too short and impossible to roll out or it is easy to roll out and rock hard. I am not even very good with ready to roll pastry so buy the precut circles. A cook I am not!

As others have said, no point buying premade with shortcrust. It's just as easy to make. If I wanted puff pastry, I'd buy it ready made, but I don't like it much.

I make my own shortcrust with my Kenwood, but always buy puff. I have been known to knock up a batch of "rough puff", which is much easier, but it's still a bit of a faff!

I do actually make quite good shortcrust pastry - well, Nigel Slater always helps ! However for most pastry, especially puff, I buy circles of pure butter pastry, from the supermarket, previously rolled and just ready to drop into a dish. No rolling and very convenient.

I make my own shortcrust, dead easy with the trusty old Kenwood Chef. Haven’t used puff for years but would def. buy rather than make.

I make good shortcrust in the food processor. It's a long time since I have made puff pastry, though I have memories of its being reasonably good.

Although a fairly competent cook, pastry isn’t one of my fortes. I buy readymade paste cases for quiches and tarts...
Never make puff. Make shortcrust for mince pies.

I can make shortcrust pastry in seconds in my food processor, so would never buy that but I would consider buying flaky/puff pastry as I really couldn't be bothered to make that!

Puff pastry ready made every time. Life is too short for faffing around folding up squares of butter into pastry. I tried the baked pastry cases once but didn't find them too good.

Definitely buy: if it's good enough for professional cooks, then it's good enough for me! But I only buy "all butter" pastry, because all the others I can find are made with palm oil.

I make my own shortcrust pastry, and since the advent of the food processor, it is easier than ever.
I buy puff pastry as that is quite a faff to make.

This is of interest to me. A couple of weeks ago I would have replied that I purchase readymade puff, but ALWAYS make my own shortcrust. It is easy to make, Add a small amount of sugar if I making it for a sweet dish.

However, I recently treated myself to an electric pie maker - and in order to try that out followed their advice and used readymade pastry as the pies needs shortcrust for a base and puff for the lids. The pies were gorgeous (I have even used canned meat for them), so quick and easy to make - all done within 15 minutes and virtually no washing up. So, I may well use even shortcrust purchased readymade for these in the future.

I feel bad and cheat with Aldi shortcrust and it's great and such a time saver. But always feel guilty as my Grandma was a wonderful pastry maker and I can hear her tutting when I take off the shelf!

If it`s good enough for celebrity chefs it`s good enough for me.
I have trouble rolling it out due to wrist problems,so i`m glad it`s available.

Thank you all for your replies, anything to make life easier especially in these challenging times.
Time now to watch "Who wants to be a millionaire?", at least we can answer a few of these!

Always make my own short crust with lard and hard marge and a little bit of icing sugar even for savoury dishes, but always buy puff, too much hassle to make it!