A staple on school dinner menus until the mid-1980s, Manchester tart is a variation on an earlier recipe by the Victorian cookery writer Mrs Beeton. If you prefer, you can use a 500g block of dessert shortcrust pastry
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
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Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
300g plain flour, plus extra to dust
75g cold butter, diced
75g solid white vegetable fat, eg Trex
25g icing sugar
200g seedless raspberry jam
100g desiccated coconut
1 glace cherry, optional
For the custard
450ml whole milk
3 large egg yolks
60g caster sugar
30g plain flour
1½ -2 tsp vanilla extract
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Start several hours ahead to allow for setting time. For the pastry, whiz or rub together the flour, diced butter, white fat and icing sugar until breadcrumb-like.
Mix in 3-4 tablespoons of cold water, then bring together as a ball. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Use the pastry to line a deep 23cm tart tin, prick the base and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Line the tart case with baking paper and baking beans, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the pastry is dry and crisp. Spread the jam in the base of the tart and scatter with half the coconut.
For the custard, heat the milk to just below boiling point. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and flour until smooth in a bowl, then pour in the hot milk, stirring.
Rinse out the pan and pour in the custard mixture. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until thickened, around 2 minutes (taste to check there is no raw flour flavour; cook for a little longer if necessary.) Add vanilla to taste, then strain through a sieve into a bowl. Stir for a couple of minutes to cool it slightly, then pour into the tart. Sprinkle with the rest of the coconut and leave to cool. Cover and chill for 4 hours or until set. Add a glace cherry in the centre for a truly retro feel and cut into slices to serve.
The Manchester tart is a traditional English baked tart consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell, spread with raspberry jam, covered with a custard filling and topped with flakes of coconut and a Maraschino cherry. A common variation has a layer of thinly-sliced bananas under the custard.
Famous for its use of whole boiled and minced lemons, the tart might be seen topped with a cut out of the famous Liver Bird, the symbol of the tart's namesake city.
Why is it called Manchester Tart? A Manchester Tart is a traditional English custard pie, hailing from, you guessed it: Manchester. It was a very popular school pudding that was served up in the 70s and 80s.
That tender crust is typically known as pâte sablée. Unlike a flaky pie crust, pâte sablée is crisp and more cookie-like. The name literally means “sandy,” although it's anything but. Pâte sablée is a classic French shortcrust pastry dough that, once baked, becomes the base for any tart you can imagine.
Working long hours through cold winters created a need for meals that would provide energy. As a result, rag pudding was invented in neighboring Oldham. It comprises minced meat and onions encased in a suet pastry.
In the 19th century, tart was British slang for "pretty woman." Some believe it is a shortening of "sweetheart." But by the end of that century, tart described a prostitute, something many language scholars trace back to the tart that you get at the bakery. Definitions of tart. adjective.
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Prep time: 40 mins
