Method
Though it felt a bit odd, I followed the recipe to the letter and added the water (cold), margarine and sugar and heated it over a low heat. This was an odd process and felt very wrong, especially when the fat in the margarine started to globule on the surface of the water… I persevered anyway despite increasingly fearing that something was terribly wrong. However it seemed to eventually melt, and not wanting to overheat the mixture I put in all the dry ingredients, and quickly mixed them well together.
The consistency was quite runny, which matched with the recipe instructions to pour into a greased bread tin. I was surprised at how quickly it thickened and started to set. It poured well into the tin but when I started to scrape the pan to get the remainder out, it was already almost set. The bread tin worked much better than a shallower dish, as this gave the fudge a height that would have been difficult using a shallower but larger tin.
I decided to use the remainder of the ingredients to try to see if using hot water rather than cold made any difference. It certainly mixed differently, but the end product wasn’t that different.
The fudge was then left to cool overnight. My instinct was to put it in the fridge but I decided that most households wouldn’t have a fridge at that point in time, and hoped that my kitchen would be cool enough.
Moment of truth
In the morning, I was very apprehensive about getting the fudge out of the tin without messing it or the tin up. Thankfully it was well greased and, by going round the edges of the tin with a small spatula and turning it upside down, it surprisingly came out in one piece so I could cut it into neat squares. It seemed about the right consistency, but the proof would be in the tasting!
Feedback
The willing taste-testers gave generally positive feedback (it was all gone by the end of the day anyway). Only two guessed correctly that the fudge contained dried milk, which suggests that there was about the right amount in there – someone else said it tasted like a Milky Way. The fudge was definitely sweet enough and the addition of the dried fruit prevented it being too sickly.
Can anyone remember making or eating something similar?
Comments
Surprisingly pleasant! Tried to work out if they had alcohol in them which… they didn’t. Shows what my taste buds are like but I also thought of raisin Yorkies.
I have my mother’s first cookbook, which she acquired in 1948, along with her brand new Parkinson cooker. That says that 4oz sugar = a teacupful, about 1/4 inch from the top and then specifies that the cup measures 2 &3/4in across and the same deep. Metric is so much easier!
These were tasty – the texture and flavour were a bit confusing to a modern mouth, but they actually came out very rich. I couldn’t have more than one… well, maybe two!
The little bits of fruits added a lovely juicy surprise 🙂
I liked this but would have enjoyed it more if it was chilled.
These were a winner. Rich taste with nice surprise of the dried fruit. Just shows what can be made from very ordinary ingredients – they tasted as though they had butter and maybe cream in them.
Surprisingly harmless considering our other heritage recipe ‘treats’ – I would almost say delicious!
These were utterly delicious. I thought the texture of the hot water fudge was smoother and richer. Loved the addition of the fruit and yes, they were rich and no, that was no problem at all!
I really enjoy these. Very rich and moreish, and the dried fruit really lent itself to it – especially the cherries. Surprisingly lovely, considering the ingredients and the simplicity of the recipe 🙂
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