Recipe Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a third. Leave to cool in the fridge.
3. Chop the nuts in a food processor until coarse, then tip into a bowl and stir through the ground cinnamon and cloves.
4. Using a pastry brush, lightly grease a 40 x 25cm shallow tin with the melted butter.
5. Gently unfold the phyllo and cover with a damp tea towel to stop it cracking.
6. Layer sheets of phyllo pastry in the tin and brush each layer with melted butter. After four layers, scatter over half the nut mixture then repeat with four layers of phyllo and then the rest of the nuts.
7. Top with the last 4 layers of filo, then generously butter the top. Cut into diamonds with a sharp knife – ensure the blade goes right to the bottom.
8. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven on a hot baking sheet for 30–35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, reducing the temperature to 170   if the baklava looks as though it is browning too quickly.
9. Remove the baklava from the oven and spoon half the cooled syrup over the top. Leave for 5 minutes, then spoon over the remaining syrup. Allow the baklava to cool before removing the individual pieces from the dish with a palette knife.