Homemade Vegan Mandarin Tart Recipe

This vegan mandarin tart (Rainbow Nourishments) is an ideal way to use up that can of mandarins that’s been sitting in your cupboard or larder. These Chinese fruits are actually a different species to oranges. They are actually related to clementines, which are small and easy to peel. Tinned mandarins have been popular in England, since wartime rationing.

The base is a simple homemade shortcrust pastry, the mandarin filling made with thick coconut cream (not milk). It kind of tastes like an orange creamsicle. If making a cake is too much effort, you can get the same kind of flavour from an orange julius. However you’ll have to experiment with this recipe, as it uses frozen orange juice concentrate, which is no longer on sale in the UK.

Avoid unpasteurised juice for pregnancy/nursing or weak immunity. Keep citrus away from pets. Read food safety for people and pets.

Bin citrus scraps/rinds, as acids could harm compost creatures (same with tomato/rhubarb scrabs and allium scraps – onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives). 

For tinned ingredients, pop lids back inside the tin (or pop ring pulls over the holes) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped. 

Why Are Oranges So Popular in England?

Not native, oranges only arrived on English shores in the 17th century, and back then were only eaten by people with access to orangeries (big greenhouses).

Before that, Queen Eleanor (from Spain) would order oranges to dock at Portsmouth harbour, as she was homesick for her favourite fruits.

Today, most oranges still arrive from southern Europe. But Pesticide Action Network say oranges (along with grapes) are usually covered in a cocktail of pesticides before arriving on supermarket shelves. So try to choose organic if you can.

You can also buy darker richer Spanish blood oranges (you can sub in recipes but they will be different in taste and colour). Also related to oranges are mandarins, clementines and easy-to-peel Japanese satsumas.