Manchester tart
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Medium
- February 2019

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Serves 8-12
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Hands-on time 30 min, oven time 30 min, plus chilling
Debbie Major has scoured the British recipe archives in search of traditional recipes that are ripe for revival – and a place on our plates. Here’s a sweet northern favourite, a Manchester tart, that might take you straight back to your schooldays.
- Calories
- 280kcals
- Fat
- 13.6g (8.3g saturated)
- Protein
- 5.5g
- Carbohydrates
- 33.3g (18.4g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.3g
- Salt
- 0.1g
For 12
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp quality raspberry conserve
- 50g desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry pan
For the pastry
- 175g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 50g icing sugar
- 90g chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 medium free-range egg yolk
- 1 tbsp ice-cold water
For the custard
- 4 large free-range egg yolks
- 5 tbsp caster sugar
- 5 tbsp custard powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 750ml whole milk
You’ll also need…
- 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin
Method
- For the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt into a food processor. Add the butter, then pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the egg yolk with the ice-cold water, add it to the bowl and process briefly until the mix comes together to form a ball. (Or, in a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt until it resembles breadcrumbs, then beat the egg yolk with the iced water and mix into the flour mixture using a table knife until it comes together.) Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until smooth, then roll out thinly and use to line the base and sides of the tart tin. Trim the edges, then chill for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 and put a baking sheet on the middle shelf to heat. Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper or foil, fill with a thin layer of ceramic baking beans (or uncooked rice), then bake for 25 minutes until the edges are biscuit-coloured. Remove the paper/foil and beans/rice, then protect the top edges of the pastry with strips of foil. Bake for 5 minutes more or until the base of the case is crisp and golden (see tips). Remove and leave to cool, then spread the raspberry conserve over the base of the tart case.
- For the custard, mix the egg yolks, sugar, custard powder, vanilla paste and 3 tbsp of the milk in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Pour the rest of the milk into a non-stick pan and heat until almost boiling.
- Gradually stir the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, then return it all to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is smooth and thick (see tips). Pour the custard into the pastry case and lightly level the top. Sprinkle with the desiccated coconut, then chill for at least 1 hour or until cold enough to slice. Serve cut into thin wedges.
delicious. tips
Bake the pastry case until golden and crisp all the way through (step 2). Cook the custard slowly (step 4) to ensure the cornflour in the custard powder is properly cooked, with no floury taste.
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