I’m sure there are lots of names for it. This is one of Nigella’s recipes and she calls it ‘hokey pokey’, so there you are. Make up a name and this is it.

We always called it honeycomb. Of course it has nothing to do with honey, but rather a lot to do with sugar and golden syrup. Fat free though – yes, really! Fat free! Unless you dip it in chocolate, but that’s a different matter.

Sweet, crunchy but chewy. And easy? Easy?! If you have 10 mins to spare and want to give someone a present that isn’t a box of dusty chocolates from the shop, then this is a choice to consider.

First, do yourself a favour and measure out 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).  Also, get an 8″ square tin out and butter it well.

Put 200g caster sugar and 4 tablespoons of golden syrup in a saucepan.

Stir it around to vaguely incorporate it,

then put the pan on a low-medium heat to melt. Don’t stir it from now on. Swirl if you must, but no stirring.

See? It’s just melting in the bottom right…

Melting well now (this is a matter of a couple of minutes, incidentally)

So now you let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, until it’s darker – about the colour of maple sugar – don’t let it get too dark though. ‘Twill burn.

You can’t see the true colour very well in this pic, because the bubbles are lighter, but allow me to assure you, it was darker.

Now whip it off the heat and thrust the tblsp of biacrb in and whisk it in rapidly, but calmly. This is hot sugar – over enthusiastic stirring results in scars.

Poooooooof! Swell! Flump! *insert other words that indicate the chemical reaction*

Pour/scrape the sugary lava into the greased tin

and allow it to set.

It will firm up as it cools, but that might take a couple..a few hours. Mine firmed up pretty quickly, but I declared it ‘done’ after the most intensive pestering from Alex. Is it done yet is it done yet is it done yet. You get the picture.

Fiddle around with it by easing the sides of the tin apart slightly, sticking a palette knife down the side then turning it over and thrusting it out of the tin on to a cutting board. There’s nothing to stop you cutting it in the tin, but I like this tin dude, so I’m not cutting anything in it!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet. (Man, it’s sweet)

Crunchy (Crunchie) …sweeeeeeeeeet

Chop it, splinter it, lick it off the board, I don’t mind one bit. Nigella suggests sprinkling it on to, or spooning through, ice cream. Whatever – as long as you don’t sprinkle it on roast chicken, I don’t think you can go wrong.

If you’re in a homemade sweetie mood, have a look at the Brown sugar fudge…

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Honeycomb

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200g caster sugar
4 tblsp golden syrup
1 tblsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

8″ square tin, well buttered

Combine the sugar and syrup in a saucepan.
Put the saucepan on a low-medium heat and allow it to melt. Do not stir at all. Evermore.
Allow it to simmer for 3-4 mins until it darkens a little – no darker than maple syrup though.

Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the bicarb.
Pour it into the well greased tin and leave to cool and set. Something in the region of 3 hours.
Chop, splinter and cut with a knife. Store in an airtight tin. (ha! store it! right! )