JAM tarts.

The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer’s day; the Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and took them clean way.

The King of Hearts called for the tarts, and beat the Knave full score; the Knave of Hearts bought back the tarts, and vowed he’d steal no more.

Jam tarts, the left-over, re-rolled pastry, off-cuts... jammy childhood treats whenever mum did any baking and one of the first recipes we all learned to bake, being so easy to make.

I was delighted to spoon the jam from half-empty jars into the pastry cases standing on a stool in order to reach the table covered in flour.

But waiting for them to come out of the oven and cool down enough to eat was a real Bushtucker trial - hot jam can burn, mum said, but what a treat.

Jam tarts, it seems, have been around forever and any historical reference to them appears at the same time sugar was available for jam making.

Back then sugar in any form was costly; today the simple confection is no longer such a celebrity and has been out of fashion for quite some time.

I for one am happy to see them make a comeback, along with Mr Kipling who makes exceedingly good cakes - jam tarts aren’t just for children, you know!

Looking back, all cakes, scones and tarts in our house were baked by my mum, while shop cake was a luxury and was often reserved for special occasions.

My mum would bake usually on a Friday or Saturday morning to last us a week: I still remember we ate day six Victoria sponge cake with custard, because food wasn’t wasted in those days.

The brownie or cupcake hadn’t arrived from across the pond yet – we had chocolate cake or buns - and the word gateau was a clue to finish off dad’s crossword.

Jam tarts are a perfect pick-me-up with a cuppa anytime of the day, happily reminiscing of schoolday nursery rhymes we all sung along to.

Bet you can’t eat just one? If you can eat just one, you’re a much better person than I am.

Now that I think about it... I wonder who this treat really was for.

Please get the rolling pin out this weekend and make some jam tarts, you will thank me for it when they come out of the oven.

But keep the rolling pin handy in case the Knave of Hearts is about!