For the caramel, place the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium high heat. Swirl the mixture gently from time to time but do not stir.
Keep a careful watch over it until it reaches a light brown colour. Do not let it get dark brown as it will burn easily which will give your caramel a bitter taste.
Remove from the heat and pour equally into the base of your ramekins ensuring the base is covered completely. Be very careful as the caramel is extremely hot. Leave them to cool as you make the custard
For the custard place the milk, cream and vanilla paste in your milk jug and warm over a medium high heat. Stir occasionally and bring to the boil then remove from the heat and allow the vanilla to infuse
Place the egg yolks and sugar in a clean bowl and mix well with the whisk. The mixture will turn paler and grow slightly in volume
Place the bowl on a tea towel to avoid slipping and, while whisking constantly, pour the slightly cooled cream slowly into the egg yolk mix
Whisk for a couple of minutes and then pour back into your milk jug/ saucepan through a fine meshed sieve
Place a clean cloth on the bottom of your roasting pan and sit your ramekins on top. Pour the custard gently and equally into each ramekin. When half way filled, whisk the custard again briefly to ensure even distribution of the vanilla seeds and continue to fill
Place the roasting pan on the middle shelf of your oven. Using boiling water, fill your pan to at least half way up the sides of your ramekins and cook for 30 minutes. At the end of this time check by giving the pan a gentle shake, the creme caramels should be very gently set but still have a wobbly consistency. The custard should be just firm around the edges but still have a jiggle in the centre. If not set and still too liquid, cook for a further 3-5 minutes
Remove from the oven and the water and allow the custards to cool. Place them in the fridge for at least 4 hours or even overnight if you want to prep ahead