Book: The Book of Old Tarts

By Elizabeth Hodder

Elizabeth Hodder's definition of an old tart is probably different from yours or mine; she isn't talking about an old tart that's been in the fridge for a couple of weeks and is starting to grow fuzzy mould. Her "old tarts" are really old - some of them are from the Middle Ages and even as far back as Roman times.

In the introduction, Hodder writes, "Although the tart began long before the Romans, it was the Romans we have to thank for some of our earliest tart-making traditions. They brought their love of … food to England … Their cooking was a model of creativity and inventiveness …"

She adds that, when it comes to the tart, cooks have always been followers of trends.