Hot English Cross Buns

 I was up at the crack of dawn this morning, wielding my nutmeg grater, to make some hot cross buns which I mistakenly thought might be ready in time for me to have one for breakfast. 

WRONG!

They were a bit more faffy and sticky than I had anticipated BUT they turned out very well, the kitchen smells great and they’re not full of the unmentionable and unpronounceable chemical ingredients that plague the shop-bought ones. I enjoyed the process and will do the same next year. 

I was in two minds whether to add the crosses to the tops, as I am not a religious person and the cross is said to represent the cross upon which Jesus was crucified for his beliefs. And whilst I have fond childhood memories of Easter - making a mini Easter garden at Sunday School, colouring in eggs, going to the Easter service etc etc blah blah blah, that is not relevant to me now. There’s a school of thought that says the cross is an older symbol to represent the four seasons, but then that doesn’t seem relevant either. I mean, why? And then I thought, why am I bothering with all this faff if I don’t pop a cross on top. I might just as well make buns of any sort at any time. 

What I have done, then, is to include the crosses, but in honour my English national flag which, unimaginatively, is a red cross on a white background. I’ve done white pastry crosses on a spicy bun background. Far more appealing! 

But it is Easter and I shall enjoy the memories of my childhood Easters for what they meant at the time. And think about all the people who stand up for their beliefs despite the personal dangers they may face in doing so.