Manchester tart is a traditional English dessert composed of a shortcrust pastry base layered with raspberry jam, filled with custard, and topped with desiccated coconut and a Maraschino cherry; a common variant includes sliced bananas beneath the custard.
Its earliest recorded form, known as Manchester Pudding, appeared in Isabella Beeton’s "The Book of Household Management" (1861) and featured puff pastry, jam, poured custard, and a sugar topping. By the late 20th century, the tart had evolved into its now-familiar form and became a staple in British school dinners during the 1970s and 1980s.