I love Bonfire Night. I love wrapping up warm and going out into the dark to see the night sky lit up. It’s such a wonderful autumn festival, welcoming the winter with fire and sparkle.

But we’ve been celebrating this time of year since long before Guy Fawkes and his pals tried to blow up parliament. Fires have been lit in the autumn for centuries – to guide travellers home before the snows set in, or to lead ghosts and spirits into the next world, or even to help young couples find love!

When I was younger, we always spent Bonfire Night at my best friend Beth’s house – because they threw the best fireworks parties! There’d be a bonfire, complete with Guy, and seriously impressive pyrotechnic displays. Of course, there was also that one year when a Catherine Wheel chased Beth’s dad around the garden…

There was always plenty of food, too, to keep us warm. It’s hard to beat a baked potato wrapped in foil and cooked in the bonfire. But the recipe I have for you today does it: my Mum’s Famous Bonfire Toffee!

This is the perfect sweet treat to boil up, let cool then break into bits to take out with you to munch at your local fireworks display!

Ingredients:

• 3oz butter
• 12 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp malt vinegar
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of mustard powder
• 3 heaped tbsp golden syrup (or substitute with black treacle for treacle toffee!)

Method:

• Melt all the ingredients together slowly in a pan
• Bring to the boil
• Boil steadily for 15 minutes
• Test a small spoonful by dropping it in a cup of cold water. If it sets, pour the whole mixture from the pan into a buttered tin and leave it to set.
• Tip the set toffee out onto a board and break into pieces.
• (You can mark lines into the toffee before it sets to show where you’d like it to break, but toffee often has a mind of it’s own!)