foodblog

Preparation

Place all of the crumpet ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pour in 600ml (20fl oz) of tepid water. The water needs to be warm enough to activate the yeast, but not so hot so that it kills it.

Blitz all the crumpet ingredients together until you've got a loose batter. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to let the yeast develop. The mixture should be quite wet, just about dropping consistency.

While the yeast develops make the topping by putting the ricotta, lemon zest and honey into a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Place half of the raspberries into another little bowl and mash up with a fork. Fold the mashed raspberries into the ricotta - don't be tempted to over-mix it, you're looking for a beautiful pink rippled effect.

Now it's time to cook the crumpets - you may need to do it in batches. First, grease the inside of your metal rings with some vegetable oil. Place a good non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Pop the rings into the dry pan and, when it's nice and hot, spoon some mixture into each ring until it is about 1cm (½in) deep. Turn the heat down to low and leave for 15 minutes to cook through. Check the pan is not getting too hot, as you don't want the bottoms of the crumpets to burn. After about 15 minutes — once the bubbles on top have formed crumpet-like dimples — turn the crumpets over, using tongs to lift the rings away. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until cooked right through.

Serve the warm crumpets with a generous spoonful of ricotta, an extra drizzle of honey and some lovely raspberries.

Bon appetit!