Golden, luscious love.

The colder weather has invigorated my appetite for cheap home-made puddings. Over the past two weeks we have had Lemon Delicious (using up lemons from the heaving tree), Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding (trying a new recipe from a 'cooking for toddlers book', but that much sugar is NOT for a toddler!) and tonight, Golden Syrup Dumplings. Except that we had no golden syrup, so they were brown sugar and treacle dumplings. No matter. Still so good.

I actually made them today at work, to sell tomorrow. My boss thinks we won't sell many, but I know he's wrong. Our first customer today demonstrated this for me. Harriet is a lady of a certain age with flair, a lust for life and a yellow Peugeot. The farmhouse kitchen I work in is right at the end of a rutted dirt road past a turn off to nowhere. I'm amazed we have any customers, let alone ones who would find getting there such a challenge. But she's a devoted regular and she interested in the more unusual things we cook. She wants tagines, not casseroles, rhubarb pudding, not fruit cake. She loves the flavour of juniper in her pork pie, as it goes with her taste for gin, she says. I get her.

Today she came in and once she'd collected together her purchases, I asked if she likes Golden Syrup Dumplings.
'Ohh, hmmm,' she said, eyes widening.
I said 'Great, I've just made some, but I bet you don't make it home with them, they're still warm,' and at that, she surged past the counter, around to my bench, fished out one fluffy, sweet orb of dumpling, still hot from its pan and promptly gobbled it up. An eighty-something old woman, twin-set, tweeds and sturdy shoes, cheekily swiping one of my dumplings, dripping syrup on the bench and grinning like a sugared-up loony!

It made my day. And since today is my wedding anniversary, I decided to make my husband's day, too.

Golden Syrup Dumplings.
It may feel a bit daunting, but just think of these as scones baked in a pot of syrup. Easy-peasy.
I wish I had a photo, but it would be of the empty pot. Sorry, next time.

for dumplings-
1 cup self raising flour
40gm softened butter
pinch salt
1 egg
50ml milk
Rub together the flour, salt and butter. Stir together the egg and milk and pour into a well in the middle of the flour mix. Stir together with your fingertips until a dough forms. Don't knead it, just bring it together.

for syrup-
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons golden syrup
squeeze of lemon
Place all ingredients in a wide bottomed pot and stir over heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and drop in golf ball sized pieces of dumpling dough. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Serve at once with dollops of heavy cream. Do not mention to anyone if there are leftovers, you'll be kicking yourself when there's none for a late supper.

Happy Anniversary, baker man.