Now for the eggs, the ham,
Now for the mustard and cress,
Now for the strawberry jam!
Now for the tea of our host,
Now for the rollicking bun,
Now for the muffin and toast,
Now for the gay Sally Lunn!”
Those lines are from The Sorcerer, the two-act comic opera written by Sir William Schwenck Gilbert—who was one half of the famous “Gilbert and Sullivan” team that gave us such famous works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado. (Sir Arthur Sullivan wrote the musical scores, while Gilbert wrote the lyrics and scripts.)
What caught my eye as I was reading about The Sorcerer (a story involving love potions and spells), was Sullivan’s reference to Sally Lunn buns….which, a number of years ago, I frequently made for leisurely Sunday morning brunches. I would make a steaming pot of tea, then lie on the couch all morning, reading the Sunday newspaper, sipping tea, and nibbling Sally Lunns. Frankly, I had forgotten about Sally Lunns, but now I’m eager to make a batch of these rich, delectable, buttery buns, a sweet, yeast bread, really—and thought you might also want to!
Zella’s suggestion for a fine Sunday:
1. Scratch everything off your to-do list
2. Make Sally Lunn buns (Recipe HERE)
(Serve with butter or clotted cream and jam. Also, for recipe variation, try adding to this recipe
2 teaspoons of vanilla or 1 tablespoon of lemon zest.)
3. Make pot of tea
(I recommend a nice Assam to accompany Sally Lunns)
4. Recline on the most comfortable chair/bed/couch in your home, with your tea, buns, and laptop computer
5. While partaking of the treats, read British newspapers (Newspapers HERE)
Enjoy your Sunday, dear Anglophiles!
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Go to: BRITISH FOODS
Go to: BRITISH TEA CUSTOMS
Go to: BRITISH NEWSPAPERS
Go to: VISIT BRITAIN
Go to: HOMEPAGE
Buy Clotted cream HERE
Buy teas HERE
Sally Lunn Recipe HERE