The best hot cross buns ever

It was 1985. I was living, unusally, with both of my parents. We were in the first home we ever owned in Spreydon in Christchurch. It was a REALLY nice house, lots of space, HUGE backyard, with an awesome garden and lots of fruit trees and the perfect shed down the end for a 'hut'. And it had a wisteria by the front door. It was a super quick trip down Rosebery Street to my school. I was in form 1 at Christchurch South Intermediate and my best friend Fiona Bain lived just around the corner. We decided together that we'd do the 40 Hour famine that year.

Goodness only knows who the pillock was that decided to put the famine on Easter weekend that year! It didn't finish till 12:00 noon on the Sunday and despite an unhealthy supply of Barley Sugars I was understandably famished by that point.

In Celebration of having done the full 40 Hours my Dad took me to Wizards , major treat back then.

Wizards 'entertainment centre' was a BIG video and pinball game parlour. It was just down the road from a very cool looking movie theatre and a Lolly shop that was always closed on a Saturday afternoons (the most likely time for us to visit Wizards!). I remember it as dingy and dark with a take away bar type place as you walked in... I doubt very much that place would have managed an 'E' on todays restaurant grading standards.

The clientele in Wizards were a mixed bunch, half of them looked like they were friends of that break dancer guy in Poi E.

Just on Twelve we ordered a Mushroom Burger- yum! And then we no doubt had some hotly contended games of space invaders and 'Elevator Action'. Which, no doubt, my Dad won.



And then we headed home to open the back door to the hot and heady smell of freshly baked cinnamon... just out of the oven homemade Hot Cross Buns. Doughy, yeasty, cinnamony goodness with real butter slathered on and dripping through your fingers... I had eight. And they were truly the BEST hot cross buns ever.

(picture from Alexandra's Kitchen- click the photo to go to her recipe)

♥