Dumplings, at their worst, can be a soggy flavourless mess.
Dumplings, at their best, can be quite firm, with a crisp outer edge and packed with flavour (such as herbs and/or cheese). Think of them as a type of warm savoury scone, that goes well with strong-flavoured sauces and gravies.
I'm having suet dumplings in beef stew today. I use suet a lot, suet pastry is great and my family loves the suet puddings I cook in the pressure cooker, sweet and savoury
Chicken thigh casserole in the slow cooker with plenty of veg, and pancetta, mushrooms, garlic, Sage and Thyme, in a rich sauce. To be served with mash
We only had them around roast lamb. Sort of similar to Yorkshire pudding which was always cooked around the beef and asbsorbed the meat juices. The dumplings were crispy with soggy insides tasting of meat juices.