I WAS in the dentist s waiting room the other day waiting for my root canal, nervously flicking through some old magazines, and a curiously-named tart called gypsy popped up.

I have never heard of this dessert before.

I had a light bulb moment and wanted to leave the filling station and rush home to make one, but sadly I had to endure the dentist’s chair first.

So what is a gypsy tart?

Regarding the origins, it’s basically mostly sugar and fat: close to the aroma you can get in an explosive mixture of molasses sugar and evaporated milk baked within a sweet shortcrust pie.

My dentist would certainly issue a health warning, which is probably a good thing, as today you rarely see this product.

Is it time for a gypsy tart comeback?

Gypsy tart was created in Kent: the story is that during the First World War a lady wanted to feed hungry gypsy children who played in the fields near her home.

All she had in her bare cupboards were a pie crust, evaporated milk and brown sugar due to rationing stop

Like the origins of many recipes we cannot be certain on the accuracy of the great stories that build up around them.

I was intrigued that condensed milk uses less sugar than evaporated milk.

You should always use muscovado brown sugar, because substitutes will not create the same effect.

It was a school dinner staple down yonder, a bit like our own awful tapioca and jam roly-poly that stuck to the roof of our mouths when served in the 1970s.

These always appealed to the fussy eaters and gave them a sugar rush long before Jamie Oliver started spouting on about his Turkey Twizzlers.

The dinner ladies were always decked out in their pristine uniforms, hair nets and caps, and served us under their watchful eyes, guiding us to our little tables and mini-chairs, sat around in small groups.

We dreaded the moment a teacher would join us and say: ‘’eat your vegetables they’re good for you”.

I sincerely doubted those wise words of wisdom and always looked forward to my puddings.

My take on the gypsy tart recipe does come with a healthy twist by using sliced bananas

It’s the crowning glory of a pie, but do cut the tart into thin slivers as you might find yourself back in the dentist chair at tooth-hurty!