Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Find a deep baking dish that is large enough to hold a 1.5-litre ovenproof dish or 6 individual ramekins. Place the dish or ramekins inside the larger baking dish. Put a kettle on to boil.

Heat the Milk: Pour the whole milk into a medium saucepan. Heat it over a medium-low heat until it is steaming and small bubbles are forming around the edges. This is called scalding. Do not let it come to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat.

Whisk the Eggs and Sugar: In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar together for about 1-2 minutes, just until they are combined and slightly pale. Be careful not to over-whisk, as incorporating too much air can affect the final texture. Stir in the vanilla extract and the pinch of salt.

Temper the Eggs: This is a crucial step to prevent the eggs from scrambling. While whisking the egg mixture continuously, slowly pour a thin, steady stream of the hot milk into the bowl. What works best for me is to use a ladle to add the first two measures of milk, whisking well after each, before pouring in the rest.

Strain the Mixture: For an impeccably smooth custard, pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into your ovenproof dish or divide it evenly among the ramekins. This will catch any small bits of cooked egg or undissolved sugar.

Dust and Bake: Grate the fresh nutmeg evenly over the surface of the custard. Carefully place the baking dish setup onto the middle rack of your preheated oven. Pour the boiled water from the kettle into the larger baking dish, so it comes about halfway up the sides of your custard dish. This is your water bath.

Bake Until Set: Bake for 45-55 minutes for a large dish, or 30-35 minutes for individual ramekins. The custard is ready when the edges are set, but the centre still has a slight wobble when you gently shake the dish. It will continue to set as it cools.

Cool Completely: Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Let the custard dish or ramekins cool in the water bath for about 20 minutes before carefully lifting them out and placing them on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Then, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before serving.