.png;w=960)
For Sandy Clipsham, the taste of a really good butter tart is almost unparalleled.
With the release of his podcast, Nothin But A Butter Tart, it was a labour of love for the Guelph man, who for the past few months, delved into the ooey gooey world of the great Canadian butter tart.
“I found a way to make a half-dozen short episodes about all things butter tart related,” Clipsham says.
“What are they? Where did they come from? Why are they so good? What is the proper way to enjoy them - plain, with raisins or nuts, or "wild-style? Why is everyone convinced that their particular family recipe is the absolute best?”
The first three episodes are available on Spotify links below with the final three episodes soon to be released.
Episode 1 - Butter Tart Attempts Were Made
Episode 3 - A Canadian Original
As one of the founders of Ward 1 Studios in Guelph, Clipsham says the company produces mainly visual content.
“More than a year ago, we thought about using the same skills, equipment and abilities around story telling, but working it into a podcast, because it is a growing medium,” Clipsham says.
“I do a lot of commercial and documentary work, sometimes covering some pretty heavy topics. So, this podcast for me, was an opportunity to pursue a topic that I find very amusing, butter tarts.”
The idea came to Clipsham after telling a friend about it in August 2022.
“There was no question that the podcast would be about butter tarts. I was visiting a friend on the West Coast and I remember telling him all about it. I didn’t have many leads then, and didn’t really know what this would entail,” he says.
“And then, all of a sudden, it was spring, and the Midland Butter Tart Festival was fast approaching in the calendar. I thought if I am going to pursue this, then I need to get going on it.”
Planning and research went on until August, this year. Clipsham went into production in June, and completed his last interview for the final episode just last week.
In the first episode, Clipsham alludes to butter tarts being Canadian.
“Butter tarts come from Barrie. A fine arts librarian from York University traced the earliest mention to the early 1900’s in a Royal Victoria cookbook,” Clipsham says.
“It was a local fundraiser for the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie. It was hilarious to me that it doesn’t even give them the name, butter tarts. The recipe is just two or three lines and just says filling for tarts.”
In one of the episodes, Clipsham had the opportunity to speak with an archivist in Simcoe County where the recipe book is housed.
“There really wasn’t a recipe in households. It was just something that was passed along as a treat that you could make with ingredients you have on hand,” he says.
Clipsham even spoke with a butter tart judge to better understand judging criteria.
“When you lift the tart and look at it from below, is the colour at the bottom uniform in colour to the surrounding edges? That is a positive indication of tart quality. There are several other criteria as well. It was also fun to hear people’s feelings about how runny the perfect butter tart should be,” he says.
Clipsham soon found out that opinions definitely do differ.
“And more than one person put me on to the idea of frozen butter tarts and eating them right out of the freezer. I guess because of the filling composition, it has a toffee like texture. I got the chance to experience that, and it was very good,” he says.
Clipsham says it was fascinating to see how many people are really into butter tarts.
“People will travel great distances to go to a rural bakery that has won awards or has a great reputation,” Clipsham says.
“I was also intrigued by this kind of generational connection that we have when we love a certain food, and how much that connects with our memories of people that we love."
The big question remains. Should butter tarts contain raisins or not?
“I will say that I don’t really have a strong opinion on either side. I respect the traditional plain butter tart. How can you make something with just those essential ingredients?” Clipsham says.
“I think it often comes down to when you were younger and had your very first butter tart. Did it have raisins, or not? And if it did, then you a probably more toward the pro raisin camp. If not, then you might call them the ‘tears of the devil’ as I saw on a butter tart themed festival t-shirt in Midland.”
Clipsham hopes the podcast sparks conversations about butter tarts.
“I hope it brings people together and brings opportunities to share, and yes, maybe share strong opinions,” he says.
So, who has the claim to butter tart supremacy?
“There really is a strong word of mouth when it comes to butter tarts. It’s not always someone with a big flashy sign that has the greatest butter tarts. In and around Guelph, we have some of the best butter tart places,” Clipsham says.
Ontario’s champion, Circles and Squares, supplies Balzac’s in Guelph, and Wellington Cakes is also well known for its butter tarts.
“The butter tart stands as one of the most Canadian food items that we have,” Clipsham says.
“And this has been such a fun process of discovery."
