Harrods Tea Room London and Homemade Crumpets with Raspberry Butter

I have always been a fan of crumpets. However, it wasn’t until Mum and I ordered some at the Harrods Tea Room that I considered that they weren’t just available from a packet. Mum and I had been from Regent Street to Westminster to Covent Garden that day, and after a big lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Union Jacks restaurant in Covent Garden, we were seeking something light and comforting by the evening. Whilst waiting in the line to get a table at the Tea Room, I considered just getting a pot of tea and something small to eat. I couldn’t go past another pot of tea, especially when the selection of teas at Harrods are so good. Once we were seated, Mum looked over at a table near us and noticed that someone was eating crumpets. Despite it being about 7pm, she exclaimed, ‘That’s it, thats what I am having!’. I quickly looked at the menu and saw they served breakfast all day. I couldn’t believe our luck, this was exactly what we felt like eating! 

When our order arrived, the crumpets were under a silver dome to keep them warm. The effect was good, as it made me feel not only very British, but like I had ordered something rather special! Coupled with butter, jam and very nice tea, the crumpets were the best thing ever. It sounds silly that something so simple could be so good, but they tasted so much better than the crumpets from a packet we have at home. This naturally got me thinking. Was it possible to make crumpets from scratch? 

Silver Service in the Harrods Tea Room

Crumpets & Tea at the Harrods Tea Room. 

The answer is, yes. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp sugar 

7 g sachet dried yeast

375 g plain flour

pinch of salt 

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

200ml water

unsalted butter, for cooking

Ingredients for the Raspberry Butter: 

1 cup raspberries 

1 1/2 tbsp sugar 

1 tbsp lemon juice

100g unsalted butter, softened

Method:

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it is just warm then remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl and add the yeast and sugar and stir a little. Leave to stand for about ten minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble and is a little frothy. 

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Gradually add the milk and beat using an electric mixer until the batter is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 - 1.5 hours or until doubled in size and has lots of air bubbles. I used my oven to prove this batter. Turn the oven on to 100 degrees and once it has reached the temperature, turn the oven off. Place batter inside oven, with the door propped open, until the temperature has lessened (maybe after 30 mins), then close the door for the remaining proving time. Make sure the bowl you use is heat proof (e.g. glass) and the plastic wrap doesn’t touch the oven, only the top part of the bowl. 

Whilst the batter is proving, place the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the butter in a bowl and whip with a wooden spoon until it is light. Once the raspberry syrup is completely cool, fold it through the butter creating a ripple effect. Transfer to ramekin or butter dish and store in the fridge until needed. 

Once the crumpet batter has doubled in size, mix the bicarb soda with the water and then add to the batter using an electric mixer. Heat a fry pan and grease with butter, and greasean 7-8cm egg ring with butter. The cooking process is quite slow, so if you have multiple eggs rings and a larger pan cook multiple crumpets at once. Place the egg ring/s into the pan and place about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture in to each ring. Don’t overfill them as the mixture will rise and spill over the edges. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the top surface is full of bubbles and the crumpet has formed a skin. I found this process took longer than 5 minutes, but it will probably depend on how even your stovetop distributes heat, and how consistent it is. 

Once bubbles and a skin have formed, loosen the egg rings on each crumpet and turn over to cook the other side. Place cooked crumpets on a wire rack with a tea towel covering them whilst cooking the remainder of the batter. Remove the raspberry butter from the fridge, and if crumpets have remained warm serve immediately with the butter. If they have cooled down, or you are serving them at another time, briefly warm them under a grill or in a toaster. 

Raspberry butter is best served slightly softened. 

Makes around 14-16. 

Harrods Tea Room can be found on the second floor, Harrods 87-135 Brompton Road Knightsbridge, London.

Harrods, London. 

Original recipe from ‘bills Sydney Food’ by Bill Granger (2000), page 57.

Originally Posted May 1, 2014.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Passionfruit Icing

These cupcakes are ridiculously easy to make and are a crowd pleaser every time. They are probably one of my favourite things to make and to eat! The cake itself is a recipe I grew up with. My Mum would use this trusty Women’s Weekly recipe to make our birthday cakes and cupcakes. My brother and I would always fight over who got to lick the beaters when Mum made these cupcakes! Mum would ice these cupcakes with a coloured icing made with a little margarine, milk and icing sugar, I of course always wanted pink! 

The original recipe uses butter, however Mum has always used margarine. Margarine gives the cakes a nice light texture. She also says using a low fat milk is great for creating a nice light cake. I find this recipe makes between 12 and 15 cakes. I think it depends on the size of the eggs used, or how much batter I fill the cupcake cases with. Either way, I always line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cases, and have another tray ready in case I need it. 

Ingredients:

125g margarine

1tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour 

1/2 cup milk 

Ingredients for the Icing:

2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar (approx.)

pulp of 3-4 passionfruit (approx.) 

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and place cupcake cases into a cupcake tray. 

Cream the margarine, vanilla essence and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer. The mixture should become light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then sift half the flour into the mixture and add half the milk. Mix until combined, then add the remaining flour (sifted) and milk. 

Divide mixture between the cupcake cases. Fill them about 1/2 to 3/4 full. They will rise, and if you fill them too much they will spill over the sides. 

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are slightly golden in colour and spring back when touched. Cool on wire racks.

Once the cakes have cooled, sift the icing sugar into a microwave safe bowl, and gradually add the pulp of two passionfruit. Mix to form a thick paste. If the mixture is too wet, sift in some more icing sugar. If it is too dry add more passionfruit pulp. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat the icing in 10 second intervals until a smoother consistency is achieved. The icing should spread nicely, but not be so runny that it will run down the sides of the cupcakes. 

Using a knife or small spatula, ice the top of the cupcakes with the passionfruit icing. Allow the icing to set before storing in an airtight container. 

The original recipe for the cupcakes can be found in ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes and Slices Cookbook’ p. 89.

Originally Posted April 27, 2014.

'Rustic' Hot Cross Buns

I have never been much of a bread maker. It’s not really an area of baking I have explored much. This year however, I for some reason decided that I wanted to make hot cross buns.  

For my first attempt I used a recipe in Nigella Lawson’s book ‘Feast’. The flavour was nice but the texture wasn’t right. I now know I didn’t knead the dough long enough which was why my hot cross buns were more like hot cross scones. 

The recipe I have used here is from a recent edition of ‘Gourmet Traveller’ Magazine. The original recipe calls for the use of dried sour cherries, instead of mixed fruit. I think, if you happen to find dried sour cherries in a deli, they would be great. However, if like me, you didn't want to go searching for just one ingredient, just use mixed dried fruit. When I mentioned to someone that I had made these, they suggested using dried cranberries as a substitute. When you think about it, you can just use whatever you have around or whatever you prefer. Just keep it to the same quantities. 

I have named these ‘rustic’ hot cross buns because, the way they have turned out, they are a bit uneven and well, rustic and homemade looking! They do however, taste great. With more practice I’m sure they will turn out looking better and better each time. Despite the fact I haven’t 100 percent perfected this recipe, I thought it was best to post an Easter related recipe, well, before Easter. Then if you’re game, you can have a go too! 

So if you have a chance over the upcoming long weekend, have a go and make some hot cross buns! I promise it’s not as hard as it seems. 

Ingredients for the Buns and Cross:

200 g mixed dried fruit

65 g raw (golden) caster sugar

two sachets (7 g each) of dried yeast

1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

rind of one lemon

rind of one orange

845 g plain flour

420 ml milk

1 egg

100 g butter, chopped

1/2 tsp sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)

60 ml cold water

Ingredients for the Glaze:

50 g caster sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice

50 ml water 

Method: 

Using an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix the dried fruit, sugar, yeast, spices, rinds and 770 g of the plain flour. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Allow to cool slightly and lightly beat in the egg. Then whisk the egg into the butter and the milk. 

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, using a electric mixer with the dough hook attachment on a medium speed. Knead until the dough is soft, elastic and smooth. It is a good idea to do the last couple of minutes of kneading by hand to gauge the texture of the dough. 

Lightly butter a large bowl, and place the dough inside. Leave covered in a warm place for 50 minutes to one hour, until the dough has doubled in size. I found turning the oven on to 100 degrees Celsius, allowing it to reach the temperature then turning the oven off worked well. Pre-heat the oven whilst you are kneading then, place a heat/oven bowl with the dough into the oven with the door propped open for the proving process. 

After the dough has doubled in size, push the dough back with your fist to knock the air out of it. Divide the dough in to eighteen to twenty equal pieces. Roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray 1 cm apart, either in a circular pattern or in rows. Cover with a tea towel and allow to prove again for thirty to forty minutes, until doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Combine the left over flour, the sunflower oil and cold water in a bowl until it becomes a smooth paste. If the mixture is too runny the crosses will be difficult to pipe. Spoon into a piping bag, or a plastic zip lock bag (and cut a small hole in the corner), and pipe a cross across each bun. 

Bake for ten minutes, then reduce the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for a further eight to ten minutes. The buns will be ready when they are golden in colour and make a hollow sound when tapped. 

Allow the buns to cool slightly, then stir the remaining sugar, spice and water into a saucepan on medium heat. Let the sugar dissolve, then allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Brush the glaze over the buns. 

Hot Cross Buns are best eaten on the day of baking, however they freeze well. 

Makes 18-20.

Original recipe can be found in Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine, April 2014, page 194. 

Originally Posted April 15, 2014.

How to Make Traditional Australian ANZAC Biscuits

Just a short post today, I’ve been trying to update the site and am finding my lack of IT knowledge very unhelpful! Luckily, these biscuits are easy to make, and don’t require any technical IT knowledge or technical baking knowledge for that matter. 

This is a recipe that my Grandma made often, and I copied down when I was about 11. They are a nice combination between chewy and crisp, and work well with either caster sugar, golden caster sugar, and I have also tried brown sugar as well. It doesn’t matter what type of coconut you use. Desiccated is more traditional, however shredded or flakes are really nice to use as well. 

This recipe is really easy to make and can be easily doubled if you need lots of biscuits for a event or party. I made them for the bake sale I did last year with Confessions of a Glutton and they were probably the easiest and least time consuming thing I made. 

So as ANZAC Day isn’t too far away, try making these instead of buying the packet ones and I think you’ll really notice the difference! 

Ingredients: 

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1 cup sugar (caster or golden caster)

3/4 cup coconut (desiccated, shredded or flakes)

1 tbsp golden syrup

100 g unsalted butter

1 tsp bi-carb soda

2 tbsp warm water 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line two large baking trays with baking paper. 

Mix the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl. Melt the golden syrup and butter on a medium-low heat, then mix the bi-carb soda and warm water together and add to the butter. The butter mixture should froth a little. 

Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix together. 

Place teaspoon sized balls of the mixture on the trays, leaving room for the biscuits to spread. Bake for 10 - 20 minutes, until golden. 

Makes approx. 32 biscuits.

Originally Posted April 6, 2014.

Bill Granger's 'Mad' Chocolate Brownies

In the past year I have purchased or been given almost all of Bill Granger’s cookbooks. I know he’s been around for a while, and I’m late to catch on, but ALL his recipes are good and work. It’s amazing. My Mum has had a copy of his ‘Feed Me Now’ book for a while, and for some reason I always ignored it. I had no idea what I was missing out on. I was steered in the right direction, in an odd and rather sad way by my Grandma. 

When she died we had to go through some of her things. In the sitting room, there was a lounge chair with a bookcase next to it. The bookcase was like a picture back in time. It had been left untouched since she had last used it almost a year previously. Even a couple of Christmas related magazines were on it, left from the last Christmas she spent at home. It was quite eery going through her things. I kept feeling like she was going to walk through the door and tell us to put her stuff away because she was still using it. On her bookshelf, were novels she had been reading and a small collection of books she had used or won at school in the 1940s. There was also a copy of Bill Granger’s book ‘Everyday’. On the inside cover was a message from one of my Grandma’s friends who had given it to her for Christmas a few years earlier. There were some pages marked, and the dust cover was slightly faded like it had been sitting in the sun for a while. 

I kept the book and when I looked through it, I noticed how many recipes looked good, and that I wanted to try. I have made Bill’s Portuguese Tarts many times and tried the Lamingtons for Australia Day this year. Every recipe works so well. And tastes so good! Even though they way I came across this book was sad, it was nice to know that even after death my Grandma could still influence the way I cook. It’s also comforting to have nice reminders of her, especially in the kitchen. I now have many more of Bill’s titles, all of which are great. So great, I don’t know how I coped in the kitchen without them. For Christmas a friend gave me ‘Bill’s Basics’, which is where this recipe comes from. Bill doesn’t call them ‘Mad’ chocolate brownies. This is my addition because when I made them for my brothers birthday and took them interstate to visit him, that was the word he used to describe them. 

The original recipe says to use all dark chocolate. I have used half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate because I dislike that bitter taste dark chocolate can have. I don’t think it would matter what proportions of which chocolate you use, the brownies will still be great!

Ingredients: 

350g caster sugar

80g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder 

4 eggs, lightly beaten

200g melted unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

100g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line a square 22cm baking tin. Chop chocolate roughly and set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir the sugar, cocoa, flour and baking powder together. Add the eggs, melted butter and vanilla and mix until combined. Then mix in the chopped chocolate. 

Pour batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. 

Cool slightly in the tin before turning on to a wire rack. Cut into squares or small cubes. 

Yield of this recipe will depend on how you cut the brownie slab up. However, it should give at least 12 portions when cutting the brownie into squares. 

Original recipe from 'Bill's Basics' by Bill Granger (2010, HarperCollins), p. 42.

Originally Posted March 30, 2014.

Fortnum and Mason and Rose Scented Biscuits

NOTE: Click here for a more recent post on Fortnum & Mason's Rose Biscuits + How to Make Crystallised Rose Petals. The recipe in this more recent post replicates these biscuits in a truer way than the version in this post - Kath, 25/4/16.

. . . 

The first time I went to Fortnum and Mason, I was 18, not into tea and really had no idea. What a shame. All I remember seeing is the bluey-green of the interior and thinking, ‘So the Royals buy their food here?’ Luckily things have changed. 

My next encounter with Fortnum and Mason was with their Rose Shortbread, in a lovely pink cylindrical tin. Of course, it was the tin that attracted my attention first. Anyone who knows me knows that I am drawn to pink. I can’t help it. The biscuits ended up being beautiful too, so it was a win win really. Later, I found a book by Fortnum and Mason about Tea which had a biscuit recipe for rose biscuits that, I hoped would be the same as the ones that came in the pretty pink tins. Unfortunately, I had the book for a few years and never tried it. Mostly because the recipe called for crystallised rose petals and golden caster sugar. The first seemed to be basically unheard of in Australia and I was just plain confused by the second. I gave up. 

Display of Fortnum & Mason's wonderful biscuits in their London shop.

When we decided we were going to London, I decided I was not going to miss out on Fortnum and Mason. And I certainly did not. Mum and I ended up going there three separate times! We had tea and scones in The Parlour, looked around the shop, including their great baking section, and admired the lovely tea sets for sale. On another visit I bought tea, and on the third I was so hungry I just had to try their macarons. I tried salted caramel, red velvet and Neapolitan. All were brilliant.

Tea & Scones at the Parlour in Fortnum & Mason London.

Salted Caramel, Red Velvet & Neapolitan Macarons from Fortnum & Mason, London.

After a few weeks back at home, I re-opened the ‘Tea’ book from Fortnum and Mason. I decided that I was going to make these rose biscuits and unavailable and unheard of ingredients were not going to stop me. Unfortunately, crystallised rose petals still seem to be unheard of in Australia. Fortunately however, ‘golden caster sugar’ is now available in Australia, so after a little experimentation I have settled on this adaption of the original Fortnum and Mason recipe. I have iced them with a rose icing as the extra subtle hit of rose makes up for the crystallised rose petals.  

Ingredients: 

200g unsalted butter, softened

100g golden caster sugar* or caster sugar 

4 tsp rosewater

200g plain flour, sifted

100g almond meal

For Icing: 

2.5 cups sifted icing sugar (confectioners) 

2 tbsp boiling water

2.5-3 tsp rosewater 

pink food colouring

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and line two baking trays with baking paper. 

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and rosewater until all combined. Add the sifted flour and almond meal and mix until combined. 

Using a teaspoon, take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls and place on the baking trays. Flatten the balls a little so they form fat round discs. 

Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly golden. Cool biscuits on the trays or on a wire rack. 

Once the biscuits are cool, place the sifted icing sugar in a medium bowl. Add the boiling water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well. Then add the rosewater. Add as much or as little as you like, but I found that 3 teaspoons had a nice scent of rose without being overpowering. 

Once all the liquids are added, check the consistency of the icing. It needs to be a smooth paste. If it is too runny it will run down the sides of the biscuits. Add more sifted icing sugar, in small increments, if the icing is too runny. If the icing is to thick, add more boiling water in small increments. 

Once you have the right consistency, add a small amount of pink food colouring. I use gel colours, and don’t have to use very much to achieve a nice light pink colour. If using traditional food colours that are more fluid, add tiny amounts until you have a nice light pink colour. It won’t take much colouring to get a light pink. Add a litttle more sifted icing sugar/boiling water if the food colour has changed the consistency of the icing. 

Once you have the desired colour and consistency for the icing, spread small amounts on the top of each biscuit. The icing will take at least a couple of hours to dry completely, but they are great to eat even if the icing hasn’t dried. 

Makes 36-38 biscuits. Store in a airtight container.

*‘golden caster sugar’ may be labelled as ‘raw caster sugar’ in Australian supermarkets. However, the UK sugar manufacturer ‘Billington’s’ is available in Thomas Dux stores, Essential Ingredient and Woolworths stores. Billington’s has a range of sugars including ‘golden caster sugar’ and ‘muscovado’ sugars. 

Recipe adapted from ‘Tea at Fortnum and Mason’ p.61 (Ebury Press).

Fortnum and Mason can be found at 181 Piccadilly, London.

Originally Posted March 25, 2014.

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my Baking with Rose eBook by clicking the link below!