On a cold, drizzly day, such as this, the best thing to do is to curl up by the fire with a book, a nice pot of tea and a plate of delicious warming crumpets..

The recipe below is easy to follow, and by making them yourself it means you dont even have to so much as poke your nose over the doorstep...


Dormouse delicious homemade crumpets

Makes 18 crumpets

Preparation time 1-2 hours
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins

You will need...
450g/1lb plain flour, sifted
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp/1x7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
300ml/½ pint warm milk
300ml /½ pint warm water
vegetable oil
4 crumpet rings or 7.5cm/3in plain pastry cutters, greased

How to make
1. Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast making a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and water and mix to give quite a thick batter. Beat well until completely combined and cover with a tea towel or cling film.
2. Leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it's a light, spongy texture. Stir well to knock out any air and pour into a large jug.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a very low heat with a drop of oil. Wipe the pan with kitchen paper to remove excess oil. Sit the greased crumpet rings in the pan and leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.
4. Pour in enough mixture to fill the rings just over halfway up the sides. Leave to cook until plenty of small holes appear on the surface and the batter has just dried out. This will take about 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove the rings and turn over the crumpets to cook for a further minute or two on the other side. Sit the first batch of crumpets on a wire rack while continuing to cook the remaining mixture.

Enjoy! Leftovers are wonderful dipped in free range egg and fried, served alongside smokey bacon for a delicious breakfast.