Storing Home made sweets

There is nothing worse than overly sticky sweets that have melted together, drying fudge or soggy chocolate so its always a good idea to prepare how you are going to store or present your sweets once you have made them.

As a rule most home made sweets should be stored in a cool place in airtight containers. If you have made uncooked sweets or unboiled marzipan you will probably know that they do not keep well so try and use them within a week.
For toffees and caramels they last a lot longer if you wrap them up in greaseproof paper. This will prevent them becoming too soft and inedible. They also look great if wrapped up if you are presenting them as a gift.
When storing homemade sweets do remember that different types of sweets should be stored separately until served. There is nothing worse than coffee flavoured confectionery stored with a softer flavoured sweet as the smell with penetrate the milder sweet. It can be even more disastrous if you are using a strong flavour such as mint - so keep different flavours apart.
Chocolates should be covered with greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight tin. If your household is anything like mine they probably won't last that long but I would recommend that you don't keep them stored for too long as they can loose that lovely glossy finish.
It goes without saying that any sweets that use ingredients such as cream need to be kept in the fridge to prevent deterioration. Sweets such as truffles and chocolates with a high percentage of cream should be eaten within a few days - so do bear this in mind if you are making them as a gift for someone.
If you are making sweets as a gift and want a good choice that will last then fudge  can be cut and stored between sheets of greaseproof paper in an airtight tin and these will normally last approximately 2-3 weeks.