Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters

225g (8oz) shelled hazelnuts
225g (8oz) plain chocolate
about 7g (1/4oz white vegetable fat (optional)

1. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 180C (350F) mark 4 for about 10 minutes, turning them or shaking the tray from time to time. Turn into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins. Leave the nuts to cool.
2. Break the chcolate into a bowl and place over a pan of hot water until melted. Add a small knob of vegetable fat if necessary to achieve a coating consistency. Line a tray with non-stick baking parchment.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Drop the nuts into the chocolate and stir them around. Using a teaspoon, retrieve four nuts at a time with a good portion fo chocolate. Plece each cluster in a little heap on the parchment-lined tray. If the chocolate starts to cool and thicken while making the clusters, return the pan to the heat but take care not to overhat the chocolate or it will become too liquid to work with.
4. Leave the hazelnut clusters to dry thoroughly.
Makes about 350g (12oz)

Chocolate Nut Truffles

100g (4oz) plain chocolate, finely grated
25g (1oz) chopped mixed nuts
50g (2oz) icing sugar
1-2 drops of vanilla flavouring
about 15ml (1tbsp) single cream
chocolate vermicelli
1. Put the chocolate, nuts and sugar into a bowl and add vanilla flavouring and enough cream to bind the ingredients together.
2. Form into small balls, roll them in chocolate vermicelli and put into paper cases when firm.
Makes about 225g (8oz)

FLYING SAUCERS

These are one of my all time favourites, taking me back to a childhood of local fairs and days out by the sea. My children equally love them and eat them exactly the same way, first making sure the sherbet filling is on one side then biting in half the rice paper casing, keeping the half with the sherbet in then putting the tongue in the half thats left and letting the sherbet and sugar casing dissolve.. yum! The sherbet-filled ricepaper discs, which have been around since the 1960s and remain a great favourite of many.

Clove Balls and Clove Rock

These sweets always remind me of a rather elderly lady who on a Sunday during service at church would ply us with clove balls in an attempt to keep us sat quietly. For some it worked, for others there was a quick attempt to try and get rid of the clove sweet without making too much of a scene. Whether loved or loathed, Clove balls have been around a very long time and still perform their function of cleansing the pallet today. Its pain relieving properties and numbing attributes of cloves are still used in medication especially for dental reasons to relieve toothache.
Yes it is an acquired taste but they are still deserving as having a major spot in the traditional sweets sections of many sweet shops today.

So, a little about where the Cloves sweets got there very unusual taste from, and that is mainly to do with its Clove ingredient.
The Clove itself is still used extensively today in cooking and medicine and comes from an evergreen tree normally found in Indonesia and India. The Cloves themselves are made from the flower buds of the tree which are first green but ready for harvesting when they turn a bright red colour. The clove is used extensively in medicinal treatment as a painkiller especially for dental reasons, so this may explain the popular use in a sweet that could be sucked, to relieve any pain from toothache.

So with a little bit of background I was interested to test these clove sweets on my two daughters (one of 15 and one of 9). I think the taste of the cloves for my 9 year old was a bit of a strange combination for a sweet, but my 15 yr old decided that it wasn't too bad. As for me it brings back plenty of memories and will always remain one of my favourites from by-gone days.

OUR LOCAL TRADITIONAL SWEET SHOP

We are lucky to have quite a traditional sweet shop locally where we get a lot of our sweets. Its one of those places that you walk in and are instantly transformed back to childhood with varieties of sweets you had forgotten. This is a lovely shop where all the sweets are displayed in their jars and literally fill the walls. Each week I will endeavour to purchase sweets from here and other smaller retailers locally and follow up with some pictures and tasting sessions! Its a hard job but someone has to do it .

If you arent as lucky as us to have a sweet shop like ours the there are places on the web to purchase these sweets. Some of the sites I have found for over the internet purchasing are..

http://bagsofsweets.co.uk/?gclid=CLr4i7_pzZsCFZ0U4wod7TsBKw

http://www.keepitsweet.co.uk/catalog/index.php/cPath/49/sort/2a/page/2

http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/index.php

These are just a few of the many that are on the internet... so happy shopping!

JUJUBES

Top : Tree from which jujube fruit grow, and above

dried jujube fruit

A prickly tree of the buckhorn family, with the unlikely name of the zisyphus, is the bearer of a plum like fruit with the even more unlikely name of the jujube. In the early part of the 19th century the juice of this fruit was used to flavour little gelatine lozenges, today the jujube is simply a fruit gum.

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Setting time : 24 hours

Makes : 700g (about 1 1/2 lb)

INGREDIENTS

175g (6 oz) dried apricots soaked overnight

OR

350g (12oz) fresh or frozen blackcurrants

275/300ml (1/2pt) water

450g (1lb) granulated sugar

50g (2oz) gelatine

150 ml (1/4pt) warm water

2 teaspoons lemon juice

FOR DECORATION

a little caster sugar

METHOD

1. Cook the apricots in 275/300ml (1/2pt) water until they are soft then sieve or liquidise them.

This will yeald approximately 275/300ml (1/2pt) thick puree. If you are using frozen

blackcurrants, put them un thawed without water until they are soft, and sieve and liquidise

them in the same way as the apricots.

2. Return the puree to the saucepan, add the granulated sugar and heat gently till it dissolves.

3. Meanwhile put the gelatine in a bowl containing 150ml (1/4pt) of warm water and place the

bowl over a saucepan filled with boiling water. Place the pan over a low heat until the gelatine

has dissolved.

4. Stir the gelatine and then the lemon juice into the sugar syrup.

5. Rinse a 18cm (7in) square sandwich tin under a cold tap and strain the mixture into it. Leave

the mixture to set overnight.

6. Cut into squares with a hot knife and toss the jujubes in caster sugar.

7. Serve in paper sweet cases and serve quickly as they do not store well.

BARLEY SUGAR

In his poem 'John Barley Corn', Robert Burns 1759-1796 declared Barley to be the king of grain, and the scots are justly proud of the bannocks of barley, their barley water and barley sugar. A recipe from John Notts cook and confectioners dictionary 1723 explains how you must first boil the barley in water and then strain it through a hair sieve. This modern recipe uses tangy lemon zest and juice for the flavouring instead of barley.

Preparation time : 50 minutes

Cooling time : about 30 minutes

Makes : 450g (1lb)

INGREDIENTS

450g (1lb) granulated sugar

6 lumps of sugar

1 lemon

200ml (7 fl oz) warm water

METHOD

1. Place the granulated sugar in a large heavy based pan. Rub the sugar lumps all over the lemon

to absorb all the lemon oil and add these lumps to the sugar and add the warm water.

2. Stir to melt the sugar lumps, then place the pan over a low heat until the sugar has completely

dissolved. Brush the sides of the pan with a warm pastry brush to remove any undissolved

sugar.

3. When the syrup is quite clear, bring it to the boil and heat to 132c (270f). Remove the pan

from the heat.

4. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and strain it into the pan, slowly stirring it into the syrup.

5. Replace the pan onto the heat and bring the temperature slowly up to 152c (305f).

6. Remove the pan from the heat, allow the bubbles to subside and then pour the mixture onto a

marble slab or enamel tray.

7. Allow it to cool for about 2 - 3 minutes.

8. Using a sugar scraper bring the mixture together into a neat, rectangular shape. Working it

very quickly use scissors to cut the barley sugar into pieces 1.5 x 15 cm (1/2 x 6 in). Roll the

pieces out to an even thickness or flatten them with your hand and then twist them.

9. Place each twist on a sheet of non stick greaseproof paper. As the twists cool they will flatten a

little, but it should be possible to twist them back while they are still pliable. They will cool in

about 30 minutes and should be put in an air tight container immediately, as they will become

sticky if exposed to the air.

10. Wrap them in different coloured cellophane papers, as they will be deteriorate if left

unwrapped.

HONEYCOMB

This sweet is typical of the Sussex region. At the beginning of the last war, hundreds of children from south-east London were evacuated to Sussex. For many of them it was the first time they had seen the countryside, and also the first time they had tasted this home made sweetmeat, which even in rationing time could be an occasional luxury since the recipe calls for only half the amount of sugar usually used in sweet making. The honey comb should be eaten as quickly as possible (good news for sweet toothed people!) because it soon becomes sticky when it is exposed to the air.

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Setting time : 40 minutes

Makes : 350 g (12 oz)

INGREDIENTS

150 ml (1/4 pt) cold water

1 tablespoon golden syrup

225g (8oz) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon warm water

METHOD

1. Put the cold water into a heavy based saucepan. Add the golden syrup, sugar and cream of

tartar. Place the pan over a low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has

dissolved and the ingredients are well blended. Raise the heat to bring the mixture to the boil

without stirring. Continue to boil over a high heat until it reaches 154c (310f)

2. Meanwhile grease a 18cm (7in) square sandwich tin with butter.

3. As soon as the syrup mixture reaches the required temperature remove the saucepan from

the heat. Quickly mix in the bicarbonate of soda with the teaspoon of warm water and

immediately add that to the syrup mixture and stir in gently.

4. Pour the mixture into the greased tin and leave the honeycomb to set in a cool place. Mark the

honeycomb into squares just before it sets.

5. Eat it without delay as soon as it softens and goes sticky.

LEMON PASTILLES

In early tudor times pastilles were a little aromatic tablets, 'kindes of mixtures of paste to perfume withal', that were burned sick rooms too dispell evil humours! But by the end of the 17th century the word had more or less presumed its present meaning - that a flavoured lozenge of sugar paste that was sucked to sweeten the breath or bring ease to a sore throat. Early georgian dandies used to carry pastilles scented with apricot, cinnamon or orange flowers in their waistcoat pockets as a shield to the social hazards of the day! Lemon pastilles were probably invented at about the same period. They are highly refreshing and help, to ward off the fatigue of driving. ( I remember my Nan always having them in the car for long journeys)

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Setting time : 12 hours

Makes : 450 g (1 lb)

INGREDIENTS

350 g (12 oz) caster sugar

600 ml (1 pint) apple puree unsweetened

40g (1 1/2 oz) gelatine

75 ml (2 1/2 fl oz) cold water

1 tablespoon lemon juice or lemon essence

a few drops of lemon colouring (optional)

FOR THE COATING

2 teaspoons of cornflour

2 teaspoons caster sugar

METHOD

1. Place the apple puree and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over a low heat until really

thick, stirring occasionally.

2. Dissolve the gelatine in the water and add it to the apple mixture

3. Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon juice or lemon essence.

4. Add the colouring if required. Mix together using a wooden spoon and pour the mixture into a

non stick tin about 28 x 18 cm ( 11 x 7 in) and at least 2.5cm (1 in) deep. Leave to set for

about 12 hours.

5. When it has set, cut it into squares using a hot dry knife and remove them from the tin.

6. Mix the sugar and cornflour together. Roll each of the pastilles in the coating mixture and

place them into a paper sweet case.

ACID DROPS

Acid drops have been a favourite for many years, in fact they appeared in several cook books from the 18th century onwards.

Preparation time : 40 minutes

Makes : 225g (8 oz)

INGREDIENTS

450g (1lb) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

100/125ml (4 fl oz) warm water

1 level teaspoon tartaric acid

a few drops of lemon essence

METHOD

1. Place the sugar, the cream of tartar and the water in a fairly large, heavy saucepan. Place

the pan over a low heat and dissolve the sugar slowly and carefully, brushing the sides of the

pan down frequently. This mixture has less water in it than most other sweets, and so the

sugar will take longer to dissolve.

2. When the sugar has completely dissolved, bring it to the boil, without stirring, until the

mixture reaches 154 C (310f). Remove the pan from the heat and plunge the base of the pan

immediately into a bowl of cold water to prevent the syrup from continuing to cook and

becoming too dark in colour.

3. Mix the tartaric acid with a little warm water and add it to the mixture with a few drops of

the lemon essence, Stir well to mix in the lemon essence and leave the syrup to cool and

thicken for a few minutes. Then, using a teaspoon lightly oiled with cornoil and working

quickly, place small drops in rounds onto an oil slabbed or oiled baking sheet.

4. Allow the acid drops to set completely then remove them from the slab and wrap each one in

cellophane. Keep them in tins or jars.

Sugar Mice

You may remember earlier from the peppermint creams recipe that I mentioned that this can be adapted to make sugar mice. Using the same quantities and method prepare the mixture and divide it in half (around seven or eight equal peices).

Shape each piece into a thick oval, make one end pointed for the nose and pinch up two small pieces for the ears.

You can use currants or silver balls for the eyes and a piece of string for the tail.

Leave the mice to dry for 24 hours.

TREACLE TOFFEE

Treacle toffee traditionally was sold at market stalls particularly over the Midlands and in the North of England. Traditionally it was eaten around Guy Fawkes night celebrations. Some interesting variations included an Irish treacle toffee by the name of Peg's Leg, and is flavoured with an interesting addition of peppermint and ginger! So feel free to experiment with different taste additions!

Preparation Time : 1 1/4 hours

Setting Time : 2 hours

Makes : 700g (1 and a half pounds)

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

100/125g (4 oz) unsalted butter

450g (1 lb) light, soft brown sugar

225g (8 oz) black treacle

METHOD:

1. Place the water, vinegar and butter in a fairly large saucepan and heat them together gently

until the butter has melted.

2. Stir in the sugar and the black treacle combine over heat. This does take some time (about 20

minutes) but do not rush it by turning the heat up too high.

3. When the sugar has dissolved, boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the bubbles to

subside. Pour the mixture into a well-oiled 18cm (7 in) square sandwich tin.

4. When the toffee is beginning to set, mark it into square with a knife. You can go over the lines

again from time to time as the divisions tend to disappear making the toffee difficult to break

when it is cold.

5. When the toffee has set hard, break it up into square, wrap the sweets in cellophane paper or

similar wrapping.

PEPPERMINT CREAMS

Peppermint Creams have been popular from the Victorian times onwards. This recipe is great for adapting once you have mastered creating the basic fondant you use. I will add the the adaption for making sugar mice later. Again this is another great recipe to make with children as it doesn't involve any cooking and they also make great presents. Children can decorate a simple box and on sheets of tissue paper can display their finished mints.

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Drying Time : 24 hours

Makes : enough to make 450g (1lb)

INGREDIENTS

1 egg white

450g (1lb) icing sugar

A few drops of Oil of Peppermint or Peppermint Essence

Food colouring (if required)

METHOD

1. Beat the egg white until it is frothy but not stiff. Sieve the icing sugar and stir enough of it

into the egg white to form a fairly stiff mixture; the amount will depend on the size of the egg

you are using.

2. Add a few drops of peppermint oil or essence. (If you are adding food colouring then do it at

this stage). Knead the mixture to a firm paste and then roll it out on a board lightly dusted

with sieved icing sugar. Cut it into rounds about 1.5cm (1/2 an inch) across, or form the

mixture into balls and flatten them with a fork.

3. Place the peppermint creams in a single layer on a sheet of vegetable parchment or waxed

paper. Leave them in a warm place for 24hours to dry before storing in an airtight tin. If you

want to add a finishing touch to them then you can dip the finished mints in melted chocolate.

Dont want to make your own and want some posh ones to impress the neighbours then see the link below for these very impressive looking peppermint creams


http://www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk/truffles_2/Peppermint-Creams/

MARSHMALLOWS

Although they are easy to find in shops now this traditional recipe gives you the satisfaction of making them from scratch and will rekindle memories of toasting marshmallows on a stick over a fire or on top of a winter hot chocolate.

A little bit about marshmallows first though. The sweet tasting root of the marshmallow plant used to be the main ingredient of this sweetmeat, but now only the name survives in the recipe. Until the 18th century the plant was greatly used for medicinal properties, and a syrup of marshmallows was recommended for curing many ailments such as to cure sore throats, hoarseness and all lung complaints (like we needed an excuse to eat them!!) The first reference to marshmallow prepared as a sweetmeat instead of a medicine was in the Chambers's Journal for 1884. This version is delicately flavoured with vanilla.

The recipe is broken into three parts so that you can see which ingredients are used for which part so hopefully that will make it a lot easier.

RECIPE

Prep : 45 minutes

Cooling and drying : 36 hours

Quantity : this recipe will create 800g

FOR THE GELATINE MIXTURE

25g (1oz) powdered gelatine

150ml (1/4 pint) of water

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

FOR THE SYRUP

450g (1lb) granulated sugar

200ml (7fl oz) warm water

225ml (8fl oz) liquid glucose

1 egg white

FOR THE COATING

3 tablespoons of cornflour

3 tablespoons sieved icing sugar

METHOD

1 Place the water, gelatine and vanilla essence in a small bowl set over a saucepan of water.

Heat it gently over a low heat to dissolve the gelatin, then take the pan off the heat. Leave the

bowl on top of the pan to keep the mixture warm.

2 Dissolve the sugar in the warm water in a fairly large pan over a low heat, then gently stir in

the glucose with a wooden spoon. Stop stirring and let the mixture boil. Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Pour the still warm gelatine mixture into a heatproof mixing bowl rinsed out with water to

stop the mixture sticking. Gradually trickle the sugar syrup into the gelatine mixture,

whisking all the time. A balloon whisk gives the lightest mixture, but an electric mixer saves

hard work!

4. When the mixture is well thickened, beat in the egg white a little at a time. The mixture

should become thick and light and foamy looking.

5. Mix together the cornflour and icing sugar and sprinkle some of it over the bast of an oiled tin

28 x 18 cm (11 x 7 in) tin. Pour the marshmallow into the tin and allow it to cool slowly leaving

it for 24 hours.

6 Dust the worksurface and hands lightly with the coating mixture. Use a knife to lift a corner of

the marshmallow, then pull it gently out of the tin on to the worksurface. Use a hot sharp

knife (make sure the knife is very dry) and cut the marshmallow into squares. Dip the cut

sides in the coating mixture and leave to dry for about 12 hours. If you arent using straight

away then store the marshmallows in layers in an airtight tin.