While I am sure that other people make and eat fudge I will always associate it with Scotland, a land of people notorious for their sweet tooth. Fudge is a sort of soft toffee, and the somewhat grainier version called tablet is also very popular. These recipes are handed down from generation to generation and in a country where the weather isn't always as bright as it might be many a rainy afternoon is spent making sweeties.



Although often made with the ?help? of small children the cooking process needs a lot of care as you are dealing with very high temperatures and very sticky ingredients.

Tablet

2 lb/ I kilo bag of granulated sugar.

A ? lb, 400 gram tin of condensed milk

3 oz/100 grams of unsalted butter

A little milk to dampen the sugar.

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract ? you could also use coconut or almond flavorings.

Don't try and substitute low fat spreads ? they won't have the right taste, and there are already so many calories a bit more won't make any difference. Just be judicious in how much you eat.

You will need a large, non stick pan, a wooden spoon, a large, greased shallow baking tray, a plate, a glass of cold water and a teaspoon. The pan needs to be large because the mixture doubles in volume when it is heated.

Place the sugar in the pan and dampen it with a little milk. Now add the remainder of the ingredients and heat, stirring until it comes to the boil. Turn down to a simmer. If brown streaks appear turn down the heat. If you get black specks it is ruined so let the phone ring. You can always ring them back. As the mixture darkens keep cooking and keep stirring for 20 minutes.

Take a teaspoonful of the mix and place in the cold water. I t should form a gooey lump that will drip off the spoon very slowly. If not ready place spoon on plate and try again after a minute or two. Don't put the hot spoon in your mouth or you will blister your tongue. Take the mixture off the heat and beat with the wooden spoon until it begins to feel gritty and mixture becomes slightly firmer Now pour into greased tray and let cool.

Fudge

The ingredients for fudge are very similar.

397g can of condensed Milk

5fl oz, 150 mls milk

1lb, 450 g of demerara sugar

4oz, 120 grams unsalted butter

This is enough for an 18 inch square tin of fudge. Grease some baking parchment and use to line the tin. Place all the ingredients in a large pan and heat quite slowly, stirring until every grain of sugar has dissolved. Now bring the pan to the boil and cook for about 10 -12 minutes, stirring. After10 minutes place a teaspoonful of the mixture in a glass of cold water. It should form a soft ball. If not quite ready cook for a further 2 minutes and try again. Take the pan off the heat and beat for about 10 minutes. By this time the mixture should be quite thick. Pour into tray and leave to cool before dividing into squares. You might want to pour some melted chocolate over the cooled fudge and letting this set before cutting it up. Other versions sprinkle the hot fudge with 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut or stir in a handful of sultanas immediately before pouring.

If you can resist the temptation to eat the lot fudge and tablet make great gifts and also sell well at fundraisers.