Manchester tart

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. This is unacceptable to the purist, as bananas were not available in England when the tart was first made.

The Manchester tart was a staple on school dinner menus until the mid-1980s. The original Manchester tart is a variation on an earlier recipe, the Manchester pudding, which was first recorded by the Victorian cookery writer Mrs Beeton. Robinson's Bakers of Failsworth advertises itself as the home of the Manchester tart.