Yuka rates this shortcrust pastry as "excellent," giving it a score of 90 out of 100.

The packet sat on the kitchen counter, half open, staring back like it had something to prove. Store-brand shortcrust pastry-nothing fancy. My friend Léa pulled out her phone, scanned the barcode with Yuka, and froze.

“Ninety out of a hundred? For pastry?” She tilted her head, both suspicious and delighted.

The oven hummed in the background, kids shouted from the living room, and the smell of apples waited in a mixing bowl. It felt like a small plot twist in a very ordinary Wednesday. A product we usually grab in a rush suddenly turned into a “good choice” badge.

On Yuka, this shortcrust pastry isn’t just “not too bad.” It’s officially “excellent,” with a score of 90/100.

And that raises a quiet but sharp question.

This shortcrust pastry that breaks the rules of the processed aisle

We’re used to thinking of ready-made pastry as a guilty shortcut-a compromise we accept because real life doesn’t look like a food magazine. You roll it out, you avoid the ingredient list, and you hope for the best.

Then a shortcrust pastry shows up with 90/100 on Yuka, labeled “excellent,” and that mental picture cracks a little. Maybe industrial pastry isn’t all the same. Maybe some brands started listening to what we actually want to eat.

One small green score on a screen can change how you see an entire shelf.

Take this particular shortcrust pastry that Yuka rates 90/100. The app highlights its low level of additives, a decent Nutri-Score, and relatively limited saturated fat compared to average. No parade of scary E-numbers, less sugar, a bit more real ingredients.

When Yuka users scan it, the comments sound almost surprised:

• “Finally a dough I don’t feel bad buying.”
• “Perfect for quick tarts.”
• “Nice ingredient list for an industrial product.”

The word “relief” comes up a lot.

On a normal weeknight, that relief matters more than any marketing slogan. It’s the difference between “I’m cheating” and “I’m choosing smart.”

Behind that 90/100, there’s a simple logic. Yuka breaks down the nutrition facts, penalizes excessive sugar, salt, and saturated fat, and gives extra points for cleaner labels and fewer additives. A shortcrust pastry that sticks closer to flour, fat, water, and maybe a pinch of sugar will naturally score better.

Brands that cut palm oil, artificial coloring, and unnecessary preservatives suddenly pull ahead. They didn’t reinvent pastry; they just stripped it back to something more honest.

The score becomes a quiet reward for that effort-a green light for everyday bakers who don’t want to start from scratch every single time.

How to really use this “excellent” pastry without lying to yourself

The smart move with a 90/100 shortcrust pastry isn’t to glorify it. It’s to fold it into your routine like a tool. One roll of dough, a handful of good toppings, and you’ve got a dessert that balances comfort and common sense.

Think of it as a base camp rather than the whole expedition. If the foundation is clean, you can build better on top: fresh fruit instead of industrial filling, homemade compote instead of pre-made custard.

The pastry gives you time back. What you do with that time decides whether the result leans “lighter treat” or “sugar bomb in disguise.”

This is where it gets real. On a Sunday evening, when you’re out of energy and the fridge is half empty, one roll of this pastry can save dinner. Press it into a tart pan, scatter a few ripe tomatoes, goat cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and it becomes a rustic tart that actually feels homemade.

We’ve all had that moment when guests show up early and you throw sliced apples and a spoonful of sugar on top of this dough, hoping it browns in time. That’s when the 90/100 score matters most. You’re improvising, but you’re not abandoning the line you’re trying to hold nutritionally.

It doesn’t turn the meal into health food. It just means the shortcut isn’t sabotaging you.

On a more practical level, this “excellent” pastry shows how much room there was to improve classic products. Less saturated fat, a better choice of oil, maybe a little more fiber from the flour blend-and suddenly the score climbs.

What’s striking is that the taste doesn’t have to suffer. Many users say they don’t even notice a difference on the plate. The crust still crisps, still holds the fruit, still melts just enough under a spoon.

Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every day-homemade dough with farm butter and organic flour sifted by hand. When a ready-made option is decent and transparent, it lets us drop the guilt and focus on the actual meal.

Reading Yuka’s green light without switching off your brain

The easiest approach with a 90/100 pastry is what dietitians quietly repeat: keep it simple. One portion of dough, not two. A thin layer, not a fortress. Bake more fruit than cream, more vegetables than shredded cheese.

Use the pastry as a frame-not as an excuse to drown everything in sugar, bacon, and heavy sauce.

A good habit is to pair it with at least one fresh ingredient that didn’t come out of a package: sliced pears, cherry tomatoes, leeks, onions slowly caramelized in a pan.

Where things slip is rarely the pastry itself. It’s the “extras” that sneak in: a little more cheese, a little more cream, one more spoonful of sugar because “it’s for the kids.”

You’re not alone in this. On a tired evening, our hands move faster than our intentions. The dish still looks innocent, but calories climb quietly.

So if you choose this excellent shortcrust pastry, let that good score remind you to keep toppings moderate-not give you a free pass to forget everything you know. Straight talk: the app doesn’t cancel our habits; it just nudges them.

There’s also an emotional layer people rarely say out loud. This pastry makes some home cooks feel less judged by their own standards. You cook fast, you cook with a package, but you’re not “serving junk.”

“I stopped feeling ashamed of buying ready-made dough when I realized my kids mostly remember the smell of the tart, not the brand of the pastry,” a mother told me in a supermarket aisle.

To keep that feeling grounded, a few simple benchmarks help:

• Look for short ingredient lists you can pronounce.
• Keep portions visible, not XXL “for later.”
• Pair this pastry with at least one fresh, colorful ingredient.

These small checks keep the pleasure intact while your choices stay aligned with what you quietly expect from yourself in the kitchen.

What this “excellent” pastry really changes in everyday life

This shortcrust pastry with 90/100 on Yuka doesn’t magically turn tarts into diet food. It does something more subtle-and maybe more valuable. It makes the processed aisle feel less binary, less “good vs. bad.”

For busy parents, students, and overworked professionals, it creates a little breathing room: being short on time no longer means throwing every nutritional consideration out the window in one move. That’s not a revolution, but it can feel like one at 7:30 p.m. in a cramped kitchen.

It also invites a quiet question: if a simple pastry can be cleaned up like this, how many other everyday products could follow the same path?

Key point	Detail	Why it matters to you
Yuka score: 90/100	Short ingredient list, fewer additives, more balanced fats	Helps you choose a ready-made pastry without second-guessing yourself
Smart use	Use as a base for fruit or veggie tarts; limit rich toppings	Enjoy comfort food while keeping some nutritional balance
Shift in perspective	Shows not all industrial products are equal	Encourages more nuanced, empowered choices while shopping

FAQ

• Is a 90/100 Yuka score a guarantee that this pastry is “healthy”?
  Not exactly. It means the ingredient profile is better than average for its category, with fewer questionable additives and a more balanced nutrition profile-but it’s still pastry and should be enjoyed in reasonable portions.

• Can this shortcrust pastry replace homemade dough nutritionally?
  It can come close, especially if the fats and additives are well chosen. But homemade dough made with quality ingredients-and controlled salt and sugar-will always give you full control.

• Does a high Yuka score mean I can eat this pastry every day?
  No. The score reflects the product’s composition, not how often you should eat it. Pastry, even highly rated, should remain an occasional food-not a daily staple.

• How do I recognize this “excellent” shortcrust pastry in the store?
  Scan different brands in Yuka and look for scores around 90/100, then check the ingredient list to confirm it matches what you’re comfortable with.

• What should I watch out for when using it in sweet recipes?
  Go easy on added sugar and toppings rich in butter or cream, and prioritize fruit so the pastry supports something fresh rather than becoming a vehicle for excess.