Crumpets are one of the foods that are quintessentially British, and I think there must be some Americans that believe the country stops between 3 and 4 in the afternoon, and we all have tea and crumpets. At our house, we do eat crumpets regularly, but not for tea, we're more likely to have them for breakfast, and when you look at the packet of Warburton's crumpets, there is a picture of half a crumpet, as if it is coming up over the horizon, with a halo of sun rays and the words Good Morning in a buttery yellow colour. It also says that they are "a delicious TOASTED way to start the day", so we must not be the only people that eat them that way.

When I was a child in South Yorkshire, we called them pikelets, but most people know these small round bakery products as crumpets.

Warburton's crumpets usually come in a pack of six, and they are surrounded by a cardboard cover, which is then encased in a cellophane wrapper. The cardboard doesn't surround the whole pack so you can see part of the crumpets through the cellophane.

Each crumpet is about 3 inches in diameter and about half to threequarters of an inch in depth. The top is covered in holes, as if they are made from a batter which has bubbled whilst it was being cooked, and the holes go through the crumpet down to it's solid crispy base.

The pack has the Warburtons logo, which says they have been family bakers since 1876, and also has a rosette in the top right hand corner which says they are Britain's favourite.

On the base of the packet is the nutritional information, the storage instructions which tells you to store them in a cool dry place, ideally not refrigerated. They can be frozen, and it recommends that if you are going to freeze them to do it on the day of purchase. Once the pack is open they should be used within 2 days. Ther is also a list of ingredients, allergy advice and a customer care number. They have a website at www.warburtons.co.uk. They also give a serving suggestion saying "Place under a preheated medium/hot grill for 3-4 minutes, turning once until crisp on both sides. Simply serve with butter, your favourite jam or preserve or drizzled with honey."

There are words of wisdom from Jonathan Warburton too. He says "Two reasons to eat Warburton's crumpets- firstly toasted and buttered they are delicious, and secondly there's less than 1% fat in each - need I say more"
This would be all very well Jonathan, if we could eat them without butter, but when the butter has melted and dripped into the holes on the crumpet, I dread to think how much fat they contain then! Perhaps if they could be eaten with just a light spread of jam, that might be alright, but to me it's the butter than makes the crumpet so enjoyable, so encouraging me to eat them because they have less than 1% fat just doesn't cut it with me!

And they are delicious, there is not doubt about that. When grilled to a crisp light golden brown, and with a light spread of butter (no more is necessary as it drips through the crumpet and ends up on the plate beneath, trust me I've tried that!) either with or without the jam of your choice, they are a very tasty treat. Your teeth slide through them in a satisfying way, they are light and fluffy, and yet substantial, so that although smaller than a slice of toast, they are just as filling. The taste is unique, neither like bread, or cake, but they are a pleasant alternative to either toast or cereal for your breakfast time meal.

(with apologies to Rupert Brooke for the title)

Nutritional information per crumpet
Energy 100kcal
Protein 3.2g
Carbohydrate 20.9g
Fat 0.4g
Salt 1.0g

Allergy Advice
Contains gluten
Produced in a bakery which used milk soya and egg

Pack of six at Tesco 74p