[snugs]

As promised the Treacle Toffee recipe

Treacle Toffee

4oz Golden Syrup
4oz Black Treacle
8 Tablespoons water
2oz butter
1lb Soft Brown Sugar
One teaspoon vinegar

Brush an 8 x 6 inch tine with melted butter.

Pour syrup, treacle and water into a heavy based deep pan. Add butter, sugar and vinegar. Stir until butter and sugar have melted.

Bring to boil. Cover for 30 seconds as this helps to prevent crystallization. Uncover. Increase heat slightly.

Boil toffee fairly briskly, uncovered, for about 12 to 18 minutes or until a little of the mixture forms hard threads which are flexible. To do this pour a little of the boiling mixture into a cup of cold water. If it forms hard threads, which bend without snapping, then the mixture has cooked for long enough. On sugar thermometer the temperature should be 280F or 138C.

Remove from heat and pour into prepared tin and leave until set. Tip out on to a board and break into pieces with a small hammer.

When I was a child there was a little shop at the end of our street that made homemade treacle toffee and they sold is mixed with lemonade powder. We used to buy extra lemonade powder and scoop it up with the toffee.

[snugs]

Another favourite recipe around this time of year in England is bread pudding (well anytime of year really but it seems to be like an autumn/winter recipe)

Today I discovered I had rather a lot of stale bread in the house and immediately I remembered I had posted one of my favourite recipes on the dose the other evening bread pudding.

I have just made a batch and here is the recipe

Bread Pudding

This packed with fruit, spices and peel. It can be served warm as a pudding and any left overs can be served cold as you would a coffee cake or of course you could warm it up either in the oven or the microwave.

Prep time: 35 mins
Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients
8oz stale white bread
10 fluid oz milk
2oz candied peel
Peel of orange
peel of a lemon
4oz currants
2oz sultanas
3oz shredded beef suet
2oz Demerara sugar
2 level teaspoon mixed spice such a pumpkin spice
1 large egg
Milk
Butter
Gated nutmeg
Caster sugar

Cut away all the crust from the bread. Break the bread into small pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl and pour over the milk; leave to soak for 20 mins.

Finely chop the candied peel or if not already chopped, grate the orange and lemon peel add to the bread and mix in.

Add the dried fruit, suet, sugar, and spice; blend well. Beat the egg and stir it into the mixture, which should have a dropping consistency. If necessary, add milk.

Spoon the bread mixture into a well greased 2 pint pie dish (remember British pints are 20oz so probably an American quart and half dish). Grate nutmeg over the top of the mixture.

Bake on the middle shelf of an oven heated to 350F mark 4 for 1 3/4 - 2 hours or until browned.

Serve hot or cold liberally sprinkled with caster sugar.