Yorkshire Curd Tarts – they used to be seasonal!
Today (Whitsun) used to be the day of the year to eat Yorkshire Curd Tarts.
Historically, Yorkshire Curd Tarts were a seasonal product and were eaten at Whitsun (49 days after Easter), especially during the local feasts and fairs that were held on this day.
And there is a reason why they were made just for this time of year at the end of Spring…
Traditionally in the Yorkshire Dales, cows were farmed seasonally and would only be calved in the spring so as to produce milk over the spring summer and early autumn (people didn’t enjoy year-round milk in those days). Calving late spring was ideal because the days were getting warmer and the grass needed to feed the cows and calves was starting to grow again. Traditional ‘turnout day’ in the upper dales, when the cows were released out to grass, is around 15th May.
But at this time of year these newly-calved cows wouldn’t produce the best quality milk needed for making cheese or butter. Historically the cows’ feed at this time would often have been supplemented by the poor quality tail-end of last year’s hay – leading to inferior milk. The milk would also have lots of antimicrobial properties because a newly-calved cow produces milk rich in antibodies. Even after the initial colostrum – called ‘beestings’ around here – the milk continues to have higher antibodies and nutrients for several weeks*.
This type of milk, full of antibodies and from poor feed, made for a weak-bodied, poorer-quality curd when they tried to make cheese out of it. Not ideal for making a ‘keeping cheese’ like Wensleydale.
So what did they do with this poorer-quality curd? Well, turn into curd tarts of course!
Nowadays, with year-round calving, faster growing grasses and better quality winter feeds, the tradition of using the early spring milk solely to make curd tarts for the Whitsuntide has died out. But we can still eat plenty of curd tarts to help keep our side of the bargain going!
Beth and Sam at Ambry Bakery, located on site at The Courtyard Dairy, have delved into the archives and created their delicious take on a Yorkshire curd tart – the recipe’s here if you want to have a go – or you can pop in their bakery and simply buy one!
* There are some historic recipes which actually say the best curd tarts are made from the ‘beestings milk’ – the first milk given by a newly calved cow.
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