what is the best method of construction on a patio on shrinking clay?

Normally 100mm of hardcore is fine but dig down and allow for 150mm scalpings/type 1 mot, give this a good compacting with a whacker plate, blind it out with ballast to level up then another couple of passes with whacker, lay slabs on a wet mix sand/cement, 4 to 1 use a coarse sand like plastering sand. Bed the slabs down on full bed of mortar and point up the joints.

How much does the clay move? Do you have alot of trees in your garden? If it is particularly bad I would consider a raised deck. The deck would then hopefully rise and fall with any movement.There would be no fail safe way of putting a patio on moving ground, John Briner & Sons