Tea Blog

There are so many delicious ways to transition from tea the drink to ‘tea’ the snack or small meal; all it takes are a few simple additions. At the lighter end of things there are biscuits or, if that isn’t going to satisfy your sweet tooth, there is the ever popular slice of cake. If you fancy something savoury then small sandwiches cut in to fiddly shapes are a traditional option, but for something warmer, quicker and infinitely more satisfying the answer is crumpets.

It had never occurred to me that something as good as crumpets might not be universal, but the internet has led me to believe that a lot of Americans might have been missing out on them until now. This cannot be allowed to continue in a civilised world, so please allow me to introduce you if you’re not already familiar with these tea time delights.

Crumpets are a type of bread, somewhere between an English muffin and a pancake. They’re usually round and come partially cooked so they’re ready for toasting under the grill, in a toaster or over the fire if you’re lucky. They have a satisfyingly chewy texture and they’re full of holes which makes them perfect for saturating with the topping of your choice.

This isn’t the time to be thinking about your waistline because crumpets need to have butter, they just do. They’re perfectly designed to absorb lots of melted butter and you have to take advantage of that, trust me. After that you can begin to personalise things a bit. Pretty much anything sweet will work, jam and honey being the most popular. If you’re in the mood for something savoury it’s hard to beat plenty of melted cheese, It makes a good companion for all of that butter in your arteries.

As a tea time accompaniment goes, a plate of crumpets are pretty hard to beat, and they’re perfect just now when it’s still chilly enough outside to warrant a hot snack. If you’re having trouble finding them I highly recommend looking for a recipe to try. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.

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