Melbourne based baking institution Tarts Anon does one thing exceptionally well – tarts – and in their debut self-titled cookbook, Tarts Anon, reveals the secrets to baking a stunning tart, every time.

Tarts are, in co-owner and head chef Gareth Whitton’s opinion, the perfect dessert, able to transcend all genres, from top-end dining to regional bakeries. Gareth was the head pastry chef at Dinner By Heston Blumenthal and former pastry chef at Kate Reid’s Lune before launching Tarts Anon as an online side hustle during the Covid lockdowns. It soon snowballed into a hit retail store in Melbourne’s Cremorne, an appearance on MasterChef Australia and a winning run on the smash hit spin-off Dessert Masters. Gareth does the baking while his partner Catherine Way – a speech pathologist with a handy knack for dessert logistics – oversees everything else.

“At a minimum, you get buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, which is in turn a vessel for an unlimited array of flavours and textures. Then there’s the beauty of taking something so entrenched in history and bringing it into the twenty-first century with modern techniques.”

Gareth Whitton

Tarts have always been special to Gareth. It started with making a plum and almond tart at his first kitchen job and carried on to later in his career. Whenever it was his turn to make staff dessert, that tiny bit of extra effort to make a pastry base to fill with the kitchen scraps that usually found their way to the staff table was enough to make the rest of the team think that they had been treated to something special.

Gareth’s love for tarts rekindled during COVID-19 when after much persistence from his partner Catherine what what started as a romantic afternoon baking soon turned into a side hustle. As time went on tarts were increasingly at the forefront of Gareth’s mind. It was hard not to keep wanting to make more and more tarts. Now he shares his passion and secrets to making the perfect tart in his new book Tarts Anon. From the beloved plain old lemon tart to something a bit more out-of-the-box, a savoury crowd-pleaser to a truly celebration-worthy St Honoré tart Tarts Anon contains all the knowledge, including step-by-step instructions, and inspiration readers need to become a tart master.

The foreword to the new baking book sensation is written by Australian foodie and friend Melissa Leong who says she has rarely met a tart she did not like.

‘With a great tart, the devil is in the detail. And all the detail you’re likely to need can be found between these covers, whether you’re a keen home baker or a step beyond.’ – Melissa Leong