Childhood school dinner treat loved by Mancunians... but with a controversial ingredient
06.06.2023 - 21:00
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Generations of children will shudder at the thought of some of the food served to them in school canteens through the years.
School dinners haven't always had the best reputation, but it's no wonder with memories of frogspawn like tapioca pudding, spam fritters, boiled cabbage and prunes with custard. However, everyone will remember one or two dishes that were actually delicious, and made us salivate when we spotted them standing in the dinner queue.
One of these rare treats for generations of Mancunians has to be the Manchester Tart. Thought to be a variation on the original Manchester Pudding, it was many kids' favourite sweet treat during their school years.
The recipe was first published by Mrs Beeton in her book Household Management. A set custard slice in shortcrust pastry, the ingredients included breadcrumbs, milk, sugar, eggs, jam and lemon juice.
A popular element in school dinners for years, it was often served with lashings of hot custard. Of course, adaptations of the original recipe have been made over the years, and for some people, you can't call it a proper Manchester Tart unless its topped with coconut and a cherry.
But there's one controversial ingredient people can't seem to agree on. Recently, a photo of a Manchester Tart was uploaded to the popular Council Cuisines Facebook page, which was later shared on the Manchester History group.
The image showed the tart with a layer of cut banana running through it between the jam and the custard. And while many expressed their love for the Manchester Tart, the inclusion of banana wasn't to everybody's taste.
On the Manchester History group, one person said: "Never had it with bananas, ugh!" Another person agreed, posting: "Definitely doesn't have