Homemakers turning committed to diversifying their baking regime in 2011 could get a lot of inspiration from French cuisine.

When it comes to sweet pastries, French chefs hold the mantle and cooks need look no further than a tarte tatin cake tin if they want to start emulating the likes of Jean Christophe Novelli and Michel Roux Jr.

Headcook and Bottlewasher stocks a huge range of cake and flan tins all capable of being used to perfect French-Anglo deserts, but the 8 x 2-inch Silverwood tarte tatin tin, priced at £8.75, is certainly a good place to start.

Highly durable and manufactured to ensure the best baking results, this cake tin will have cooks turning out near-perfect tarte tatin after tarte tatin in no time.

The more adventurous cooks may prefer to invest in a set of four 3.5 x 1-inch deep fluted flan cases, also from Silverwood.

For just £9.50, cooks can start perfecting their French pastry baking in these hard anodised aluminium alloy tins, which are extremely effective heat conductors and help to reduce cooking times.