There are certain 'National Speciality Foods' that we find regularly in all our supermarkets.
France exports wines, cheese, dried sausages, salt, and expensive water.
Italy sells us pasta, bottled sauces, parma ham, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
The US sends us their tomato ketchup, cornflakes, peanut butter, orange juice, and Uncle Ben's rice.
Switzerland exports chocolate, more chocolate, and even more chocolate.
Most of these things are to be found the world over.
I would like to suggest just a few things that the UK should be exporting to the whole world; Marmite, Lea and Perrins sauce, and Branston pickle, are probably available in most countries, but PORK PIES, and CRUMPETS are not!
People in the UK don't realise how lucky they are to have permanent access to Pork Pies and Crumpets.
If you are a maker of either really good Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, or Crumpets, would you please have a word with M Leclerc; one of his clients would be extremely grateful.
53 comments:
Early in the morning but i had to google crumpet, now i know more.
They are very simple things, but lovely in Winter. I eat them as in the photo; toasted, with butter.
Crumpets, yes please! I've seen recipes and thought about making them but I'm sure they wouldn't have that holey glory that I remember from days of olde.
Wish we could get hot cross buns as well.
My wife makes Hot X Buns, and they're very good. Maybe we'll try to make some Crumpets too, but I don't think they'd be as easy.
Not only pork pies, I find it difficult if not impossible to get any sort of decant pie outside of UK.
There must be an opportunity for some enterprising baker / pie maker?
What you call crumpets are what my Mother called Pikelets and her idea of a crumpet was large floury, flatish bun. Herself as a professional baker knew what she was talking about.
Like yourself there are certain foods that I miss too such as clotted cream.
'Pies' are inherently British. Only where the Brits have settled do they seem to exist. Oz, the US, etc, eat Pies; but practically nowhere else.
From memory, Pikelets contain both egg and sugar and are not left to rise as are Crumpets. I think a lot of names are muddled. In the US, Crumpets are known as English Muffins.
Last year I went through a phase of eating Tate & Lyle Black Treacle. I even found a British shop in Vienna where they sold it.
1917-1948 the Brits were here, may be it have to be longer time to inheret the pies...
I used to like crumpets as well, but DIY bread has replaced them at breakfast time now. I don't miss any other food, apart from doughnuts coated with thick sugar and filled with jam, which were bought from our local Morrisons supermarket. Dreadful for the weight, but super as a treat!
I have never eaten a crumpet and I have never seen them in bakeries in Norfolk however they are of course in packets in supermarkets here. I have a pork pie lunch each week, buying small ones from M&S. I do not like Melton Mowbray ones though, I find them too dry. I like the grey meat ones as opposed to the pink meat ones.
Have you tried a crumpet ( or 2) toasted ,with butter and a soft yolk fried egg on top. The yolk broken from underneath to soak in and plenty of coarse sea salt?
I used to work in a Midland Bank in Leicester that was next to a Walkers ( famous pork pies ) butcher's shop. Sometimes the pork pies on sale were still very warm. .....a wonderful taste experience for lunch !
They are Simples! Just need a fairly liquid, very yeasty and active batter.
Cro, in Brum... crumpets are pikelets!
Rachel, there used to be a bakers at the bottom of Kett's Hill that did an excellent pork pie.... properly cooked, grey meat... just the right amount of jelly.
They also did vegetarian Scotch eggs.... the outer was a wonderful nut-roasty sort of coating, rather than sausage meat.... and then there were the apfelstrudle rolls!! But they were only on Wednesday morning.
Go see if they are still there....
Regional differences are designed to confuse.
Cro, at least we can get muffins in both LeClerc and SuperU..... had two last night with a poached egg on top. Ate the white and spread the yolk on one half and made an egg yolk muffin sarnie! Yumchious!!
Lady Magnon uses it in her Christmas cake. We were lucky to find a pot a few years ago, and there's still some left.
Occasionally a hot buttered crumpet in the afternoon, with a cup of Rosie, would be very welcome.
Rachel, you could always spread the Crumpets with Nutella, or Sugar Beet paste.
I've always thought of Crumpets as being very simple things. Just a blob of butter and no more. I'm too old to change.
I shall go to Leclerc tomorrow, so shall look out for them. I normally bypass the bakery section because we buy our bread elsewhere. Thanks.
Oddly, it seems to be a Scottish bakery making those....
Life without pork pies, unthinkable!!
I have a good one in the freezer that I'm keeping for Christmas!
Denmark has banned Marmite for health reasons. Too many vitamins, apparently. I bet it used to cost £15 a jar anyway. You either like it or hate it. At that price I would force myself to hate it.
I think that bakery has gone now LePre. The best pork pies were from Craskes with lots of lovely jelly at the right consistency but I am happy with the ones I get from M&S now. As for Crumpets Cro, even Nutella, much as I love it, does not sway me towards a crumpet. Sugar beet paste makes me think of sugar beet mud, and the terrible sickly stink.
Hmm, I might have some crumpets next week, or maybe a pork pie for lunch...
I enjoy an English muffin, but only like apples or other fruit in my pies. We have what we call pot pies (most popular being chicken) that contain meat and vegetables and is hot when served, but I never liked them. My mom used to make them often, much too often and I have not had one since I left home.
I love it, and always keep a good supply.
All right, all right; and I'll be eating confit and foie gras.
I like a good quality meat pie, or pasty. They have to be well made with really good quality meat etc.
We can buy crumpets here in Canada. My husband really likes them, but I suspect he knows them from when he spent time in England visting his grandmother. I'm not a fan, they are too much like a fat pancake. I guess tourtiere would be the French Canadian version of a pork pie. Otherwise we have what are called pot pies which are meat and vegetables together. -Jenn
Cornish pasties have both meat and veg' inside. Very easy to make too!
I've never seen crumpets in a bakery but I get them prepackaged in the supermarket all the time. Toasted and buttered ....yum!
A Melton Mowbray Veal and Egg, Pork Pie with a good dash of English Mustard along with a crisp heart off lettuce made for a good lunch.
Personally I think the supermarket ones are the best!
Are you trying to make me jealous Heron? Because you're doing a good job!
Here in Derbyshire only posh people called them crumpets, while we called them pikelets, with a wonderful pikelet stall, Monks, in Derby market. I wonder if they are still there. We have always eaten them with lots and lots of "best butter". My daughter puts grated cheese on her's - strange!
Muffins are quite another animal, not enjoyed in this house.
I'm told that pikelets are quite easy to make though I have never tried.
Gill
As I'm sure you're aware, I'm terribly terribly posh; Well I must because I call them crumpets. I ain't gunna change now.
Crumpets with hot butter dripping down your chin ...yum yum!
Our local butcher makes his own pork and pickle pies - delicious but very fattening 🐷!
Haha! Got some crumpets in the freezer but will pull out as son is home for a few days. Not so much the fatted calf but the frozen crumpet!
Livin in Tucson I really do not get all my favorite Japanese foods. So I feel your pain.
cheers, parsnip
There's the occasional crumpet package at some specialty store 'round these parts. I don't regularly purchase them as I'd prefer to have them freshly baked. For that I'd have to fly up to Seattle to visit their crumpet shop. Inconvenient, but worth it, if I'm in town.
Ireland sells their Kerrygold Butter to Aldi's here in the US. I covet it so much I hide in our freezer and eat it by the spoonful when hubby is at work. Food. It brings out the worst of times, it brings out the best of times.
I note that you are a fan of both Crumpets and Pork pies; we should start a club.
If I do find some (I live in hope), I shall also fill the freezer.
My supermarket has far more Japanese products that English; odd, as I haven't seen any Japanese people around!
I rather like the bog-standard shop-bought Crumpets. I don't think I've ever had any others.
I don't think France allows imported foreign butter; shame, as Kerrygold is superb.
I'll persuade her to try.
We can buy packaged crumpets at the supermarket. Actually, I never really liked them and preferred toasted tea cakes when I lived in England.
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