4

WHO Dr Marty’s Crumpets won’t cure your

arthritis or clear up your cough, but they're

healing in a comfort-carb way. Martin Beck

is a chef by way of MoVida who fell into the

crumpet business in 2013 while looking for

a change. He now supplies wholemeal and

original crumpets to about 80 Melbourne

cafés and restaurants including Tivoli Road

Bakery and Spring Street Grocer.

WHAT Using a simple mix of Laucke

organic flour from South Australia (a tip-of

from Tivoli Road Bakery’s Michael James),

yeast, Mount Zero’s olive oil and pink lake

salt, baking powder, raw sugar and water,

Beck and his team of six (including his wife,

Selma) hand-ladle 1000 crumpets a day

onto flat-top grills, six days a week. The

result is a small-batch crumpet that’s tall

and sturdy but still soft, pocked with

plenty of yeasted bubbles that await

melted butter. Using a machine to dollop

out the batter would help Beck scale up

production, but he’s convinced this

would compromise his product’s light,

airy consistency. “They’d just lose all their

texture and body,” he says.

WHY “People love them because we

use really nice flour, but they’re also very

neutral,” says Beck. “They’re a great vessel

for eating more of your favourite topping.”

At markets he serves them toasted with

peanut butter, jam, Vegemite or cultured

butter, but many venues present them

as a savoury option; MoVida has been

known to serve mini bar-snack versions

with Manchego custard and shavings of

fresh black trule.

WHERE Dr Marty’s Crumpets are stocked

at cafés, restaurants and grocery stores

across Melbourne, about $10 for six.

See website for stockists.

drmartyscrumpets.com.au

SOPHIE MCCOMAS

Dr Marty’s Crumpets

It’s time for toasting: butter, honey or Nutella at the ready.

Dr Marty’s

Crumpets with

honey and butter.

So-long haul

With input from researchers at the

University of Sydney, Qantas has

introduced new menus and cabin routines

to minimise jet lag on its 17-hour flights

between Perth and London, launched on

its new 787-900 Dreamliners last month.

Dishes are lighter – think greens and

grains – and designed to maximise sleep

(a bespoke tea blend, no chilli for dinner).

Cabin lights and meal times reflect the

destination’s time zone, while lower flying

altitudes and higher cabin humidity are

expected to also help. qantas.com.au

MILKY WAYS

Precious stone or chocolate egg?

It’s hard to tell, looking at Bibelot’s

collection of marbled chocolate eggs

for Easter. Each one is handpainted

andfilledwithhotcrossbuncomfit

• amixtureoffruitandnutscoated
  in Valrhona chocolate. $30 per
  185gm egg.bibelot.com.au

Big Ben,

London.

GOURMET TRAVELLERGOURMET TRAVELLER 2525

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES (LONDON), BENOIT LINERO & SYDELL GROUP (NOMAD LOS ANGELES), VINCENT LONG (NEIL PERRY) & RODNEY MACUJA (NOCCIOLE D’ELITE AND DR MARTY’S CRUMPETS). STYLING AIMEE JONES (DR MARTY’S CRUMPETS). ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN

PRODUCERS

News