By Richard Stubbs · Sep 17, 2026
A warm family afternoon in Ashford, Kent — full of laughter, steaming pots, and one very memorable pair of spectacles.
Nine-year-old Jordyn and her seven-year-old brother Tyler had spent the morning walking near the Great Stour river and exploring the wide-open spaces of Victoria Park. They returned home to 7 Stichwort Lane with rosy cheeks and a hearty appetite.
Mum Michaela, wiping her flour-dusted hands on an apron, peered over her reading spectacles at the two children. "I wonder what we should have for a special treat today?" she mused. "I think I will make a proper Kentish apple dumpling."
Dad Warren set up the tablet on the kitchen counter so they could video-call Granddad Richard all the way in South Africa.
"We're making apple dumplings, Granddad!" Tyler announced proudly to the screen.
Granddad Richard was standing in the sunny courtyard of Waterfall Kennels and Cattery in Fourways, with the faint sound of happy dogs barking in the background — watching every moment unfold live.
At the children's feet, family cats Jack and Joey were busy chasing a stray piece of cooking twine across the kitchen floor.
Mum Michaela gathered beautiful, rosy-cheeked apples bought from a local farm stand. She sat at the kitchen island, pushed her spectacles further up her nose, and carefully began to pare the apples.
Jordyn and Tyler watched in fascination — and Granddad Richard watched from the tablet screen — as she mixed flour and butter from the cupboard, creating a perfectly smooth paste. She rolled out the dough, tucked the quartered apples inside, and wrapped them up snugly.
Mum tied the dumpling in a clean cloth, ready for the pot.
She carefully lowered it into a bubbling black pot on the stove.
The delicious, spiced scent of cooking apples soon filled every corner.
"That looks magnificent," Dad Warren declared, as the kitchen filled with warmth and the irresistible aroma of spiced apples.
Mum Michaela stood up, grabbed a long steel fork, and lifted the pot's lid to peek inside. Suddenly, Jack leaped onto the counter to inspect the steam — startling Mum just as she leaned over. Her spectacles tumbled right off her nose and fell straight into the bubbling pot!
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! That's bad!" cried Mum Michaela, while Tyler and Jordyn burst into fits of giggles. From the tablet screen, Granddad Richard let out a booming laugh. Joey the cat gave a confused meow from the floor.
Using a pair of bright kitchen tongs, Dad Warren carefully fished his wife's spectacles out of the hot water. He wiped them off and handed them back to Mum, who placed them firmly back on her face.
She poked the dumpling with her fork — but the apples were still a bit hard. "No, no, no, it is not done yet," she sighed, replacing the lid.
Twice more she checked the pot, and both times Jordyn and Tyler held their breath, waiting to see if her glasses would take another dive. Luckily, they stayed put.
Finally, the apples were perfectly soft. Mum Michaela lifted the steaming, fragrant dumpling into a large yellow dish and set it on the dining table. The dumpling was piping hot, smoking like a little chimney.
Jordyn, Tyler, Mum, and Dad all began to blow on their portions to cool them down, while Granddad Richard jokingly pretended to take a bite through the video call. Jack and Joey sat by their chairs, purring loudly.
"I must get a new nose. My nose is so little, that my spectacles simply will not stick!"
— Mum Michaela, chuckling as her glasses slipped down one last time
As they ate, laughter echoed around the table — and across the video call all the way to South Africa. A simple Kentish apple dumpling had turned into an afternoon the whole family would never forget.
A proper apple dumpling made with local farm apples and a family recipe passed through generations.
Granddad Richard in Fourways, South Africa, shared every giggle and gasp in real time.
Jack and Joey — the family cats — provided the chaos that made the afternoon truly unforgettable.
The Great Kentish Apple Dumpling Adventure