The Queen of Hearts...

27th August 2009: Birds the Confectionists - Jam Tart

Rating: 9/10

The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts all on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.

The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore;

The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and vowed he'd steal no more!

Jam tarts are something that conjures up lots of childhood memories for me. Easy to make and a great way to use up left over pastry, they were something me and my mum would often bake. Sometimes she would make a 'free form' large jam tart for pudding which we all would share- delicious when freshly baked from the oven. Infact, I like jam tarts so much I would even say that they are my favourite type of tart as I just love jam!

These little pastries made by Birds certainly do not fail to impress. I often find that I am slightly disappointed by shop bought cakes as they don't normally compare to my Mum's homemade cakes I've been brought up on. However, these exceeded my expectations, and in my opinion, they are the best jam tarts you can buy. The pastry, is of course up to normal Birds standards- thin, crisp and sweet with the usual inviting aromas. Inside the pastry shell is a generous pool of seeded raspberry jam which is firm enough not to run out after taking the first bite but still beautifully smooth and not at all jelly-like. The main reason I like these so much is because of the high ratio of jam to pastry- something that is hard to find in shop bought versions! If you're a fan of jam and havn't yet given one of these tarts a go, then you are seriously missing out.
Why do these not deserve a 10/10? Well, I guess because for me one is never enough and they just don't quite satisfy my sweet tooth!