A family classic!

This is a clootie dumpling! It is a cake of some beauty and is distinctly Scottish. Indeed I am going to be slightly racist here and suggest if you're not Scottish making one of these bad boys might just be beyond you :)

However fear not, as they are a total bugger to make - five hours of boiling and topping up and watching - then another five hours to cool enough to slice.

The resultant "cake thing" though is pure and utter magic!

My beloved and much-missed 4ft 10in granny made them for us for birthdays and I  have carried the tradition on. This one was for my sister-in-law's birthday today.

EXTRA PHOTOS: The dumpling being made and a selfie from the get-together.

Weather: cloudy; and showery sometimes heavy; changeable; shirt weather; nice enough; 17 degrees c.