Pastry making

I'm new to the basics of home cooking and wish to know how to make pastry, as in pies, pasties etc. I want to have a go myself, rather than always buying from shops.

basic pastry for pies etc

Hello! I'm no caterer, but for a basic pastry, its basically plain flour, butter, and a little water.
Put the flour into a bowl, add cool, cubed, butter Unsalted/salted, which ever is your preference, and rub between your fingers, until it starts to resemble bread crumbs add a little water, and bring it together.if it's 2 sticky add just a little more flour, or if it is still a bit floury then add a little more water/butter. Once it resembles pastry, knead it 4 a couple of mins, not too long that the pastry is warm, then put it into the fridge for about 10mins,(this will make it easier to roll out.
when rolling the pastry out, make sure you have the worktop sprinkled with flour, and your pinnie. to stop the pastry from sticking. I usually roll the pastry about 3 times, then resprinkle to worksurface once I have turned the pastry over. and gently turn the pastry around, the best way to put a pastry lid onto a pie, is to slide the pastry onto a plate, then carefully place the plate upside down onto the pie, If you have any left over pastry it can keep 4 a couple of days in the fridge or you can freeze it, and let it defrost in the fridge,& reuse it.

Pastry Making

Making pastry from scratch really scares some people, which is funny when you realize that many of them probably use the expression "easy as pie" and never make the connection. These instructions are for what's called a rough puff pastry. It's just as impressive-looking and wonderful-tasting as "real" puff pastry, just a whole lot easier. It only takes about 15 minutes of actual work time, but you'll need another hour for it to chill.

Ingredients
1 cup unbleached high protein all-purpose flour or better yet because you know the protein is high, unbleached bread flour
1/4 cup unbleached white pastry flour (not whole wheat) or plain bleached cake flour, not the self rising kind (with the baking powder and salt) You want just plain cake flour.
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks plus 5 tbsp. coarsely grated, frozen, unsalted butter
6 tbsp. ice water

Steps
Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2Add the butter to the bowl.
3Toss to mix.
4Add the ice water to the bowl and stir gently with a fork.
5Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface.
6Smear the dough with the heel of your hand until all the dough has been smeared at least once. This helps incorporate the butter and makes the dough flakier.
7Gather the dough into a ball, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
8Roll it out into a rectangular shape with the long sides running horizontally.
9Fold the top third of the rectangle down over the dough.
10Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up over the dough so the edges of the folded dough touch.
11Fold the left edge of the dough over to meet the right edge, and pinch the seam.
12Repeat steps 8 through 11.
13Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and chill the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
14Repeat steps 8 through 13.
15The dough is now ready to roll out and use.

Hope this helps