14/10/2026
There’s a certain sort of Yorkshire morning when you know, before you’ve even opened the curtains, that you’re not going to get much done outside.
The rain’s rattling against the windows, the fields have disappeared behind a wall of grey, and there’s a good chance the washing you left out yesterday is now wetter than when it came out of the machine.
You can hear the kettle starting up in the kitchen. Someone’s already got the bread out, the butter’s sitting on the side getting soft, and there’s a jar of honey waiting on the table.
It’s nothing fancy. It never has been.
For generations, people have made the most of what’s in the kitchen cupboard, put the kettle on and found comfort in the simple things. A proper breakfast before the day begins. Something warming when you come in from the cold. A slice of something homemade with a brew in the afternoon.
And in Yorkshire, where the weather has never been particularly interested in your plans, you learn to make your own little pleasures.
A thick slice of toast. A steaming bowl of porridge. Crumpets dripping with butter. Something baking in the oven while the rain taps away outside.
These aren't recipes that need a dozen ingredients or a fancy kitchen. They're the sort of things you can knock together with what's already in the cupboard, and they're all the better for it.
So, next time the weather turns and there's nowhere you particularly need to be, forget about the jobs waiting outside for a little while.
Put the kettle on, get something good on the table, and settle in.
Here are a few of our favourite things to eat when it's absolutely chucking it down.
1. Thick toast, plenty of butter and honey
We'll start with the obvious one.
A good loaf of bread, sliced nice and thick and toasted until the edges are crisp but the middle is still soft. Get the butter on while it's hot so it melts properly into the toast, then finish it with a generous drizzle of honey.
The trick? Don't rush it.
Let the toast cool for just long enough that the honey sits on top rather than disappearing completely into the bread. A pinch of flaky sea salt works surprisingly well too.
Add a strong cup of tea and you've got yourself a breakfast, elevenses or afternoon snack. Depending on how bad the weather is, potentially all three.
2. Porridge with honey, apples and cinnamon
When the rain is coming sideways, cold cereal suddenly feels like a terrible idea.
Porridge, on the other hand, is exactly what you want.
Make it with milk for a creamier bowl, then stir through a spoonful of honey while it's still warm. Add some chopped apple, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a handful of toasted nuts if you've got them.
You can even fry the apple in a little butter for a few minutes first. It softens it and brings out the sweetness, and the whole kitchen starts smelling like you've made far more effort than you actually have.
It's the sort of breakfast that keeps you going until lunchtime, particularly useful if the rain eventually forces you outside to feed the animals.
3. Crumpets with honey
Crumpets were practically designed for miserable weather.
Toast them until they're properly hot, get the butter on and watch it disappear into all those little holes.
Then comes the honey.
A runny blossom honey works beautifully here because it finds its way into the crumpet rather than simply sitting on top. If you've got set honey, warm the spoon slightly first and spread it over while the crumpet is still hot.
And yes, two crumpets are completely reasonable.
It's raining, after all.
4. Baked apples with honey
If you've got apples sitting in the fruit bowl looking like they need rescuing, this is an easy one.
You'll need:
2 apples
2 teaspoons of honey
2 tablespoons of oats
A pinch of cinnamon
A small k**b of butter
Here's what to do:
Heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
Core the apples and place them in a small baking dish.
Mix the oats, honey, cinnamon and butter together, then spoon the mixture into the middle of each apple.
Add a splash of water to the bottom of the dish and bake for around 25–35 minutes, until the apples are soft.
Serve them warm with yoghurt, custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you're feeling particularly committed to the comfort-food theme.
It's simple, inexpensive and makes the kitchen smell incredible.
5. Honey-roasted carrots
Not everything has to involve toast.
Honey-roasted carrots make an excellent side dish for a proper rainy-day dinner. They're sweet, a little sticky around the edges and lovely alongside a Sunday roast.
You'll need:
500g carrots
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
A pinch of salt and black pepper
A little fresh thyme, if you have some
Here's what to do:
Heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
Peel the carrots and cut them into evenly sized pieces.
Toss them with the olive oil, salt and pepper, then roast for around 20 minutes.
Drizzle over the honey, add the thyme and roast for another 10–15 minutes until tender and starting to caramelise.
The trick is to add the honey towards the end so it doesn't burn.
They're particularly good alongside a Sunday roast, but there's no reason you can't make them on a Wednesday when the weather is miserable. In fact, Wednesday probably needs them more.
6. A proper bowl of soup and something to dip in it
There are few things better than coming in from the rain to a bowl of steaming soup.
Tomato, leek and potato, carrot and coriander, butternut squash — whatever you've got in the kitchen will probably do.
And don't underestimate the importance of the bread.
A thick slice of crusty bread, toasted and buttered, is non-negotiable. If you've made a loaf yourself, even better.
Honey might not be the first thing you think of when you think about soup, but a tiny drizzle can work beautifully in sweeter vegetable soups, particularly alongside carrot or squash. Start with half a teaspoon, taste, and add a little more if needed. The idea is to bring out the natural sweetness of the vegetables, not make your soup taste like pudding.
7. Something baked for the afternoon
Rainy afternoons are made for baking.
It doesn't have to be anything complicated. A simple honey cake, loaf cake or batch of muffins is more than enough.
Honey is particularly useful in baking because it adds sweetness as well as moisture, helping cakes stay soft. If you're adapting a recipe that uses sugar, start by replacing only part of it with honey. Honey adds liquid and browns more quickly, so you may need to reduce other liquids slightly and keep an eye on the oven.
And there is a very important final step:
Put the kettle on before you take the cake out of the oven.
This is Yorkshire, after all.
The best thing about a rainy day
Perhaps the best part isn't actually the food.
It's the excuse to slow down.
You don't need to rush breakfast. You can make another cup of tea. You can bake something because you've got nowhere else to be. You can sit at the kitchen table for ten minutes longer than usual and listen to the rain against the window.
There are days for muddy boots, long walks and getting things done.
And then there are days when the weather is absolutely chucking it down and the best thing you can do is stay inside, put the kettle on and make something good.
So if you're looking out the window at a very grey Yorkshire morning today, you know what to do.
Toast the bread.
Find the honey.
Put the kettle on.
And don't feel guilty about having another crumpet.
