SOMETIMES it is the least spectacular-looking foods that pack the biggest flavour punch, and deliver the most reward in terms of eating.

The Yorkshire Curd Tart may not win any prizes for prettiness, however this is all a cunning plan on the part of us Yorkshire folks!

We like to maintain a sense of exclusivity, you see. We don't want to cheapen it by mass production, look what happened to its good friend Mr Bakewell Tart.

So to maintain the status quo there sadly needs to be a comeback for us Yorkshire tykes!

So where has this speciality tart gone? We do know it originated from the early-to-mid 17th century , where most Yorkshire farmers wives owned the odd cow or two.

In those days ‘with the curds from the milk being not wasted’ (true Yorkshire saying), they put them to good use in the baking of Yorkshire curd tarts. This was especially around the time of Whitsuntide , which Yorkshire villages used to celebrate with fairs and feasts.

For those of you that don't know Whitsuntide derives from the term white Sunday which is a name for Pentecost, which, if my memory serves me correctly, is the seventh Sunday after Easter.

The key ingredients in the making of a Yorkshire curd tart are the curds, the by-product from the cheese-making process. These days if you can get your hands on fresh curd you are a very lucky person indeed!

Curd used to come from the dairy and was once widely available from or milkman, who used to deliver it to our doorsteps along with the milk. This is probably why the tart seems to have disappeared along with the milkman!

Making your own curd is very easy and simple to do, and I thank my good friends Betty's of Harrogate (proper Yorkshire bakers) who still make the Yorkshire curd tart as their signature dish.

They kindly helped me out with the curd recipe - saying just a little planning is needed. Now for a few guiding words on the making of a proper Yorkshire curd tart!

No matter what you read Mr Paul Hollywood, I want to be very clear on this, cottage cheese cannot be used in the making of Yorkshire Curd Tarts! They must be curd cheeses which are very different in taste and texture to cottage cheese.

Rosewater was also called for in the very early recipes which can be a option, but I prefer using freshly ground nutmeg with a pinch of cinnamon and a little lemon zest – it works wonderfully well, complementing the sweetness of the currents (rather than sultanas).

So I bet you're all intrigued, and want to get in your kitchen and start making your own curd. Get baking this delicious, underrated Yorkshire delicacy that grandma would have baked and would have been proud of, coming from God’s own country!