Easter Tansy

Easter Tansy is a traditional British recipe for a traditional Easter omelette, based on a 15th century original that's coloured green with spinach juice, thickened with breadcrumbs, sweetened with sugar and flavoured with mixed herbs and a touch of bitter tansy juice. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Easter Tansy.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

25 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Additional Time:

(+20 minutes infusing)

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Wild Food Baking Recipes British Recipes

A 'Tansy' is a 15th century name for a dish that's basically an omelette flavoured with herbs. These days 'tansies' are generally fruit omelettes served as desserts. The original tansy gets its name from the rather bitter tansy plant that was used as a flavouring.

Originally tansies were eaten at Easter to celebrate the end of Lent and the return of eggs to the diet. Previously the diet would have consisted almost entirely of fish, many of which were probably worm-infested. Bitter tansy leaves actually act as a worming agent and may have been beneficial. For the most part, tansy is far too bitter for the modern palate but this variant on the traditional tansy is actually quite tasty.

Ingredients:

4 eggs, lightly beaten
240ml single cream
180ml spinach juice (boil the spinach in 200ml water, puree and pass through a fine sieve)
1 tbsp tansy juice (crush tansy fronds in a pestle and mortar and strain)
1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
1 tsp marjoram leaves, shredded
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
150g breadcrumbs
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

Method:

Beat together the eggs, cream, spinach juice and tansy juice in a bowl until combined. Add the herbs and mix in well, then add the breadcrumbs, sugar and nutmeg. Mix to combine then allow to sit for 20 minutes for the breadcrumbs to swell.

Pour into a well-buttered dish and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for about 25 minutes, or until firm and lightly golden on top. Serve in slices, with a little lemon juice and salt sprinkled on top.

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