They are a form of oatmeal, which (in Staffordshire) is supposed to be made by scattering the oatmeal in boiling milk, whereupon it forms little balls that are crisp on the inside. It has never worked for me, tho I have tried various coarsenesses of meal. For extensive discussion and a celebratory song, seehttp://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=38200#2671781