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Buns!

 It comes to something when even Andy says, ‘Blimey, it’s getting expensive in Aldi.’ When he makes proclamations like that, then it’s pretty certain the country is going to hell in a handcart. Anyway, I went to  Aldi yesterday to do a shop for the Easter weekend because it is still better value than the other supermarkets and I’m not prepared to starve to death as a poke in the eye to the government just yet. 

There were, as you might expect, stacks of hot cross buns by the tills. It’s odd really. When I was a child, one enjoyed hot cross buns on Good Friday because it is traditional to eat them on this day and they were only available at Easter. Nowadays, one can buy hot cross buns all year round. I refuse to. What’s the point? Takes away the joy of eating them at Easter, says I. It’s a bit like buying out of season imported asparagus and strawberries. Destroys the treat factor when the real deal appears in its correct season. Shouldn’t life be about fleeting moments of joy? Don’t we run the risk of boredom or being spoiled by everything being available all year round? (I had a fleeting moment of joy just before lunchtime when Nell and Andy returned from a walk covered in mud. My, how I laughed! Ahahahahahahahahaha!)

As I was waiting to go through the tills, I picked up a pack of hot cross buns and looked at the ingredients label. There were way too many ingredients that didn’t need to be in a hot cross bun - mostly artificial additives and preservatives. I’ve recently read Tim Spector’s ‘Food For Life’ and if that doesn’t put the wind up you regarding the damage ultra-processed foods can do to your health then I don’t know what will. These hot cross buns were definitely ultra-processed. I resolved then, dear reader, to make my own. 

Supermarkets and food manufacturers rely on us being lazy. They prey on the human condition that wants things quick and easy. Instant food and NOW! It doesn’t help that schools have replaced Home Economics with Food Technology which, as far as I could tell, involves very little cooking at all. Therefore, I laugh in the face of the human condition……mwahahahahahaha! And thank my lucky stars I was taught to cook properly from a relatively young age.

Yes, it takes longer to make hot cross buns from scratch. It’s a bit of faff. But I am a seasoned cook and baker of 45 years of experience. And if you tell yourself, ‘I am going to enjoy this process of making hot cross buns because it is a lovely thing to follow a new recipe,’ then it becomes a sensory learning experience which is way better than cutting open a packet made from cellophane in order to achieve instant bun. Also, it’s a once year effort. And you end up with these…


…which is very satisfying indeed. They tasted better than shop bought ones which I find rather stodgy, sweet and  overly sticky. I shall look forward to making another batch this time next year. 


Comments

Anonymous said…
They look delicious! We are no longer learning to enjoy the journey to the end result in cooking or baking. My wise teenager said yesterday that she pity other teenagers who has had everything done for them so they have no skills. My husband and I looked at each other and with one look, quietly decided to up the ante!! She might just regrets that remark!!!
I do think there is something wrong with not having kids do age appropriate tasks. We ourselves are not the perfect parents for sure so not superior to other parents. Just a general observation
KJ
8 April 2023 at 15:32
Denise said…
I agree, KJ. Learning to be an independent adult is very important. I’m glad my parents instilled that in me.
9 April 2023 at 10:35
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