Dogs and humans are similar in many ways but what is it with their obsession with a certain tune or a long lost food.
As animals, we all have quirks and little personal habits which over the years evolve into a regular requirement. For Charlie it is broccoli. Not a day goes by without him eager to get to the fridge to chew on a stalk or floret.
For me, well I am a little unsure yet as to what I really must have or do. I love my vegetables but I also like stealing bark chipping from the garden and chewing them to a pulp.
Dunster Spiced Bun
But when it comes to the humans then they are a whole different ball game. What is it with ear worms, the songs that go around their heads for days on end, certain shoes for going to the park and a certain flavour for an evening meal.
Dad has had one flavour in his head for decades, it was known as The Dunster Spice Bun. Made by a local bakery around 20 years ago it featured assorted mixed fruits and spices wrapped up in a muffin shaped bun.
He thinks it was made by a Cumbrian based company called Birketts. The baker was taken over by Greggs in the mid 1990’s.
Sadly the Dunster Spiced bun is not part of their current portfolio and he has not been able to find the recipe anywhere.
Mum has tried adapting various recipes and the most likely candidate is Rachael Allen’s mincemeat muffin recipe, but this still does not seem to match the unique flavour he remembers.
Do you know how The Dunster Spiced Bun was made, what went into it and where mum can get a recipe from? Let us know in the comments area below.
Until next time
Licks and wags
Rufus and Charlie
Have you had anymore luck with the Dunster bun? I remember buying them in the bakers in Keswick, many years ago. It must have been a Birketts because it became a Greggs, and the Dunsters vanished. You had to be quick in the morning to buy your bun quota before they all sold out. The humble Dunster must have fueled many a mile walked around the lakes and up the hills of the Lake District!
I’ve experimented with recipes myself. I’ve tried to fuse a fruit muffin with a fruitcake but got sub-standard results.