An inviting table set with a basket of crumpets, a vintage candlestick, and some homemade maple butter, jam, and cheese.

Ultimate Crumpets and Maple Butter Spread- a Spectacular Duo

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This week the children and I made English-inspired crumpets with a side of maple butter. Crumpets are a delicious English teatime treat. The best way I can describe a crumpet is a cross between an English muffin and a pancake. The tops of the crumpets have lots of little craters- and those mini craters make the perfect cavity for butter to collect in. Crumpets are crispy on the bottom, and pillowy soft on the inside- a delicious anytime treat. They are lovely served with cheese, butter, golden syrup, maple butter, or homemade jam. The culinary possibilities are endless.

I will also be sharing my love for vintage fabrics and vintage cloth accessories by showcasing some of my favorite thrifted and inherited fabric pieces. As a nod to these elegant fabrics, and to a time gone by, the children and I will create our own vintage- inspired doilies.  This is an easy project that can introduce children to sewing, while also creating something charming and useful.

Without further ado, let’s get the show on the road.

A handwritten crumpet recipe, a vintage brass candlestick holder, a vintage pen set and vintage dollies.

~My First Crumpet~

To paint a better picture for you all, let me take you back some twenty years ago, to my first crumpet experience. I’ll have to bring you guys to Australia with me- so buckle up and enjoy the ride. 

Picture this: I was a carefree nineteen-year-old girl, and I was enjoying a gap year in Australia. Naturally, I wanted to taste all the fine delicacies that the Australian culture had to offer. 

As I have said in a previous post, the Australia cheeses, breads, and sweet snacks quickly became my favorites. One food that I particularly enjoyed was…you guessed it…crumpets! I best enjoyed the Australian crumpets toasted and then slathered in butter- and topped with cheese.

In fact, if I close my eyes tight- and try as I might- (to drown out the noise of little children), I can almost taste the delightful crumpets now.

~My Second Crumpet~

You might be able to imagine my excitement, when ten years after my stay in Australia, I found myself living in England. In my opinion, England has many similar foods to Australia. Crumpets are one of those similar foods. Alas, I could savor my beloved crumpets once more.

Naturally, when I lived in England, my husband and I often bought crumpets from the grocery store. For they were both inexpensive and delicious. I never made my own crumpets in England because I never had a need to- as the store-bought variety were so good. However, being back in America, crumpets are difficult to source- so I thought… why not learn to make them myself? And so here we are…a post on homemade crumpets.  

Now that I have worked up a good appetite, by taking a stroll down memory lane, let us not waste any more time…

Off to the kitchen we go- want to come along?

~My Homemade Crumpet, Paired with Maple Butter~

Handwritten Crumpet and Maple Butter recipe
*My crumpet recipe was inspired by and adapted from the book "Vintage Tea Party" by Carolyn Caldicott.

~The Star of the Show: The Crumpet~

Ingredients to make homemade crumpets
*The crumpet ingredients ready to be mixed, and mashed, and made into a decadent treat.
Canning lids being used as a crumpet ring to make homemade crumpets.
*Ideally, you would use crumpet rings. However, I did not have any on hand, so I used canning jar rings. While not a perfect solution, they kept me from having to make a trip to the store. Anyone with four small children knows, frivolous car trips must be avoided whenever possible.
Yeast mixture being added to the flour well of the crumpet recipe.
*The flour and salt "well" with the liquid yeast mixture being poured into the center.
The crumpet batter with holes appearing on the top of the uncooked crumpet mixture.
*Our crumpet dough after one hour- lots of bubbles accumulating on the surface. (A good science lesson to observe for the littles.)
Crumpet batter being poured into a canning lid to make the circular crumpet shape.
*A ladle was the perfect tool to "pour" the crumpet batter into the metal rings. Be aware, this step lends itself to a bit of a mess.
The crumpets cooking in the skillet.
*Our crumpet batter cooking on the first side. As it cooks, craters will appear on the top and the batter will begin to set.
A homemade crumpet with maple butter on the top.
*A warm crumpet with maple butter heavily spread over the top -and served on a china plate made in England.
A basket of homemade crumpets on an antique table.
*Fresh crumpets in a lined basket with cheese, maple butter, and homemade jam.
The inside of a crumpet with one bite taken.
*Inside of the crumpet- a crispy exterior with a tender, soft interior.

A sidenote: I have since learned that you can find frozen crumpets from time to time at Whole Foods stores and at Publix, often in the frozen section. These frozen crumpets are nice in a pinch but are somehow not as good as the fresh crumpets I enjoyed in Australia and England. 

Never you mind, for homemade crumpets are near.

~Maple Butter~

Maple butter is an easy way to jazz up crumpets, toast, English muffins, or bagels. Anyone can make this simple recipe. You only need a bowl and some elbow grease. In fact, this butter is so delicious, and so easy to prepare- that you may find you make it often. Once prepared, pop the butter in a jam jar, and store in the refrigerator. Easy Peazy!

A stack of vintage books with a homeade maple butter on the top of the books and the lid is dressed with a vintage doilie.
*A vintage doily made the perfect lid topper.
Homemade maple butter
*Maple butter on a vintage trivet and a vintage doily.
Homemade Maple Butter decorated in a vintage doily.
*Vintage books, vintage doily. homemade maple butter-a good combination.

~Vintage Fabrics~

I love vintage fabrics, laces, doilies, handkerchiefs, tea towels, table runners, and tablecloths- and I always keep my eyes peeled for these items when I am in thrift or antique stores. As a result of this appreciation, I have inherited some special fabric pieces from my grandmother and my mom. 

In today’s home we do not always think of using these beautiful lace pieces of art. Much less know how to make them (at least I don’t, and I very much wish that I did). Therefore, if and when, I stumble across these vintage treasures-I feel compelled to preserve them and use them in my home in some way- as I feel they add a lovely touch of elegance to almost any space. 

Vintage fabrics also provide texture and softness to a hard space and can be used in a variety of uses. They remind me of the English-cottage-style interiors that can be observed in the beautiful Cotswold cottages, in the English countryside.

A vintage, basket liner.
*A beautiful basket liner that I found at an antique store. What a clever design.
A beautiful, vintage, basket liner with delicate flowers.
*Behold, the exquisite details and textures seen in the delicate flowers and the dainty lace edging.

~Vintage Doilies~

Vintage doilies are handmade pieces of art and history. These little beauties aid in protecting hard and soft spaces. While they may be used in a slightly different manner in today’s lifestyle, I still find them useful in a variety of ways.

In fact, some of my favorite uses for vintage doilies is to use them as a soft layer under candlesticks and vases. I also like them perched upon stacks of books with a candle or trinket on top. Call me old fashioned if you must, but doilies can even look charming on the back of a nice chair (without looking too granny “ish”). No offence to any granny reading this post.

Vintage, lace doilie
*My grandmother's and mom's doilies. I love the creamy colors and the intricate textures.
Vintage, lace doilies.
*I took way too many photographs of these, but I absolulty adore the shapes and textures. True pieces of art!
Vintage lace doilies
*These doilies are a beautiful way to add texture and softness to an otherwise hard, cold space.

~My Vintage-Inspired Doily~

Using these vintage doilies as my inspiration, I thought it would be a fun homeschool project to make our own doily out of scrap fabric and vintage lace. 

The pink and white gingham fabric is from a pillow sham that we brought over from England. It was our daughters, but over time, the fabric wore thin.

Not being one to waste a possible treasure- I saved the fabric for another use, in a future time. This was that future time.

These doilies are not in any way a comparison of the beautiful handiwork of the olden days, but instead a nod of appreciation to their heritage.

It is a shame to see some skills go out of fashion and be forgotten.

My hope is that through creativity and thought, I can teach my children some of the dying arts. (Even though, I too, am limited in some of these areas myself).

Don’t let a lack of skill hinder you. Be creative and see what you may design- using your own unique strengths and talents.

A pile of scrap fabric ready for a DIY doily craft.
*Scraps of fabric should always be saved- as a use will eventually emerge.
A vintage doily is being used as a pattern guide.
*I used the original doily as my pattern to cut out the English fabric. But for goodness' sake...don't accidently snip the doily!
Vintage doilies being used as templates for scrap fabric.
*The large and small doilies again used as the pattern for the new doily.
DIY doily projects-perfect for children to help with.
*Those sweet little hands-my ever-present helpers. I love literal "hands-on" projects that teach the children new skills.
Fabric with quarter marks to make sewing a ciricle easier.
*I used rough quarter marks to make sewing the circular shape on the sewing machine a little easier.
A vintage sewing machine sewing a DIY doily with scrap fabric.
*This is my late grandmother's sewing machine. I love working on it, thinking of her doing the same thing... many years ago.
A sewing machine needle, sewing a vintage inspired doily
*Sewing the two layers together. While I used the sewing machine to hem the edges of each circle and to attach the two circular layers, I did use a "cheat," which was to hold the lace in place using fabric glue. A bit of skill... and a bit of clever hiding of evidence. This is a case for working smarter, not harder.
A DIY Doily made with vintage lace and scrap fabrics.
*Our finished project. Far from perfect, but a fun effort and a nod to a vintage doily. Again, these projects are not showcased because of the talent involved, but instead as an example of creativity. Which in my humble opinion, is not always dependent on skill level.
A DIY, vintage- inspired doily with a vintage vase on a tabletop.
*A lovely table decoration that the children can be proud of.

While I am definitely not a skilled seamstress, I love using bits and bobs to create something unique and useful for my home spaces. You do not have to be an expert to create something you find lovely for your home. These simple DIY vintage-inspired doilies make perfect, thoughtful gifts.

~Until Next Time: ~

I hope you all have learned a bit more about English cuisine and have gained a new appreciation for vintage fabrics and textures. Speaking of textures…

One does not have to look very far to see beautiful examples of textures in nature. To prove this to my little homeschool clan, we all marched out to our backyard with a challenge in hand. A challenge to find an example of a natural texture (in a plant or otherwise). Their searches proved fruitful, and there were some stunning contenders. 

In the end, we all agreed on one plant in particular. I will leave our winner here to conclude today’s post. A stunning, lumpy-bumpy, trumpet-y, CRUMPET-y, trailing, propelling verdure. 

See you all next week. Same time, same place. 

A cascading green plant in a pot.

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