Crumpets with ricotta, honey and walnuts

Golden, spongy homemade crumpets emerge from the pan with those classic bubbling craters, ready to soak up melting butter. Crowned with creamy ricotta, a drizzle of runny honey and a scattering of grated toasted walnuts – an indulgent, comforting bite that feels like a warm weekend morning.

This crumpets with ricotta, honey and walnuts recipe receives a Nutri-Score of E due to the high sugar and saturated fat content from the honey, butter and full-fat milk combined with refined white flour.

Per serving (approximate, based on 2 crumpets per serving): 650 kcal, 28g fat (of which 16g saturates), 78g carbohydrates, 28g sugars, 2g fibre, and 14g protein.

Method

Activate the Yeast (15 mins – do this while you gather the rest of your equipment)

1. Warm the milk – Pour the full-fat milk into a saucepan and warm it gently over a low heat until it is just tepid to the touch. You do not want it hot or it will kill the yeast and your crumpets will not rise.
2. Dissolve the yeast – Take the pan off the heat, stir in the fast-action dried yeast and the caster sugar, and let it sit for 10 minutes. You will see a frothy layer form on top, which tells you the yeast is alive and ready to work its magic on your crumpets with ricotta, honey and walnuts.

Make the Crumpet Batter (5 mins + 1 hour proving – mostly hands-off resting time)

3. Whisk in the dry ingredients – Transfer the frothy milk mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the strong white flour, a pinch of salt and the bicarbonate of soda until you have a smooth, thick batter.
4. Rest the batter – Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave it somewhere warm for 1 hour. This gives the batter time to bubble up and become beautifully spongy, which is exactly what creates those classic crumpet holes.

Cook the Crumpets (20 mins – steady but hands-on)

5. Heat the pan and rings – Set a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Lightly grease the insides of your 2 crumpet rings with butter and pop them in the hot pan to warm through for a minute.
6. Ladle in the batter – Carefully ladle the batter into the crumpet rings, filling them to about 2cm/¾in from the top. Leave plenty of room because the batter will puff up as it cooks.
7. Cook until bubbly – Turn the heat down to medium and let the crumpets cook for 6 to 8 minutes. You will see the top set and fill with little bursting bubbles – this is the sign of a perfect crumpet.
8. Flip and finish – Gently flip the crumpets over in their rings and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to brown the base. Lift the rings off, remove the crumpets, and repeat the process until you have used up all the batter to make 8 crumpets total.

Assemble and Serve (5 mins – do this while the last batch is cooking)

9. Spread with butter – Place the hot crumpets on serving plates and spread them generously with the salted butter so it melts into all those lovely little holes.
10. Add the toppings – Spoon the creamy ricotta over the buttered crumpets, drizzle with runny honey, and finish with a scattering of the toasted, grated walnuts. Serve these crumpets with ricotta, honey and walnuts straight away while they are still warm and comforting.

Additional Notes

For this recipe you will need 2 crumpet rings to get that perfect, round shape and the classic tall edge. If you do not have crumpet rings, you can use well-greased, deep pastry cutters or even clean, empty tuna tins with both ends removed. The key to a good crumpet is a medium-low heat – if the pan is too hot, the outside will burn before the inside has time to cook through and form those signature holes.