Try to remember the 5th of November

Its November and as if history was in some way repeating itself with a modern twist on the political upheaval, upset and aggression both in and out of Parliament, it seems appropriate to be celebrating Guy Fawkes and "Bonfire night" this month!.

The political and religious rebellions back in 1605 led to the gunpowder plot, its failed attempt to blow up the houses of parliament has given us the annual ritual of burning a large bonfire with what is called a Guy fawkes effigy that is placed on the top!.

For years I always believed that Guy Fawkes also known as Guido Johnson (now that`s a coincidence, although not sure if there is any relation to Mr Boris Johnson ?!), was captured and burnt alive for his terrorist activities.This apparently is not the case as he was due to be executed by hanging, however immediately before his execution on 31 January after a lengthy period of torture to extract a confession, Fawkes accidentally fell from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of being hung, drawn and quartered.

As a child none of the aforementioned really mattered, as the fun of making a stuffed effigy of Guy using an old jumper, my father’s trousers and making a head out of mothers nylons before placing him in a wheelbarrow to collect money was the exciting part of my childhood calendar of events.

My grandmother would make Bonfire toffee in her small kitchen that would offer up sweet and bitter smells of burnt sugar and hints of vinegar (part of her secret bonfire toffee recipe she used to tell me), watching it being poured out of her pan all dark and bubbling into a butter lined tray was more exciting than the Worthers original TV advert !!.

The Bonfire toffee was nearly black in colour, it was like looking into a deep dark pool of water, shiny and as reflective as a mirror. When cool and set hard there would be the exciting ritual of smacking it with a small toffee hammer and watching it scatter like shards of broken stained glass window onto a sheet of brown parchment paper.

The hard toffee offered up an initial upfront burnt sugar flavour before yielding to a sweet buttery smoothness with hints of salt and an underlying creamy acidity stimulated by the vinegar.

This annual ritual became as traditional as the bonfire itself, one that has remained deep in my memory and with affection, and one that I am now delighted to share in the hope that our children today will be exposed to positive experiences despite all the modern day challenges. I can also only hope that such simple things in life such as homemade toffee can offer up many happy memories in the many years to come.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

? 450g (2 cups) dark brown sugar

? 125ml (? cup) boiling water

? ? tsp cream of tartar

? 115g (approx. 5.5 tbsp) black treacle (molasses)

? 115g (approx. 5.5 tbsp) golden syrup (light corn syrup)

? 2 tblsp dark (brown) vinegar

? Butter for greasing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line the base and sides of an A4 sized tin with non-stick parchment paper and grease well with butter.

2. Put the sugar, vinegar and boiling water in a heavy bottomed large pan and heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved but do not stir the mixture after the sugar has dissolved.

3. Weigh out your remaining ingredients, (if you put them in a really well-greased jug they will be much easier to pour out) and add all the remaining ingredients.

4. Bring to the boil until you reach soft crack or 270°F/140°C ( This may take up to 25 -30 minutes), be patient and do not leave the pan unattended as it can change quickly. As soon as it reaches the temperature , tip it into your greased tin and leave it to cool.

5. Once cool remove it from the tin a break up with a toffee hammer or rolling pin. Store in an airtight tin or wrap up in boxes or cellophane bags to give as a gift.