Oil Sump gasket / sealing

Evening All -
Quick question for you... took my sump off today for the first time after 10years and given it a good clean.
Before I go to refit it, can I ask what's the latest thinking on sealing it up?
PO must have used endless amounts of various seals, silicone and rubber judging by the crud i've scraped off the rim. DIdn't stop it leaking mind.
Manual says just use a dry cork gasket - is this the best or have you had better results with gasket + sealant (like Hylomar); or just sealant or...??
It's 2.25L petrol, S3 if that makes a difference.
Be interested to know what's worked for you all to try and make sure it doesn't leak (from there anyway).
Thanks in advance for any advice,
TS

The first job I did on my series was pop the sump off to see what bits I could salvage. Not much in it to be honest but couldn’t believe the finish on the sumps mating surface.
I took a yard of emery cloth off a roll and wrapped it onto a spirit level to give it a flatten. The gasket I had ordered was a thin brown paper affair that had no chance after I’d taken it down. Never mind while still full of spot weld scars and humps.
I never did find the cork gasket on line so used a good splodge of high temp silicone on the sump followed by the paper gasket and another good bead of goo on the engine.
It held for seven years until I recently started a full rebuild.
So I’ve done the same again. The new gasket was a bit thicker on this occasion but wouldn’t have sealed an un flattened sump.

Oh the problem area is at the front where the timing chain cover and block meet. Orible design having three lumps of engine all meeting in one spot.

Same as bobsticle had the paper gasket but must have been 2mm thickish, I used loctite Si 5980 from Halfords and put this on bottom block and also on sump, tighten up from middle to outer it’s only 12ft/lbs so don’t overtighten
I also checked sump with straight edge and had to straighten one corner with hammer , sometimes you get high spots at the holes where they have been overtightened and these can be tapped flat again

Thanks both - I’ll check the sump for straightness today and looks like I’ll use sealant plus gasket. Pretty sure the gasket I got sent was cork but it’s been sat in the garage so long waiting for me to do the job I can’t actually remember.

If it is cork I’d be tempted to put on with a bit grease to hold in place , the oil level must be below gasket level and if sump pan flat with it nipped up evenly should be ok. This fella uses vaseline

Don’t overtighten. Your going into very thin cast. Last thing you need is it splitting.

Turns out gasket is paper.
The pan is good and flat though and the lip has steel reinforcing plates on it so hopefully with clean surfaces and some hylomar on the gasket I hope to be fine.