A ROYAL HERITAGE

Light and creamy, these dainty delicacies are said to have originated in Tudor times and to have been a favourite of Henry VIII. It is believed the King came across his second wife, Anne Boleyn, with her maids of honour, the young ladies who attended the Queen, eating the golden tarts from a silver platter. He tasted one for himself and found their melt-in-the-mouth texture so delightful that he confiscated the recipe and kept it under lock and key at Richmond Palace. An alternative account says that the maid who invented the tarts was imprisoned in the palace grounds so she could bake them solely for the Royal household. Crisp, sweet, yet slightly savoury, with a soft, unctuous centre, their appeal endured, and by the 18th century, the recipe was disclosed to a bakery and the treats are still enjoyed today.