Homemade sweets make a lovely present

Sunday, June 18. Lesley Tate suggests an easy recipe.

THERE are few things more delicious to those with a sweet tooth than fudge - and with actually very little effort, homemade fudge is a lot better than anything you can buy in the shops. There are a few rules which must be observed, the correct temperature must be reached, or your fudge will never set, and the mixture must be whipped up to the correct consistency, or once again, it will never set. And, do be careful about the heat - the fudge will get very hot and sticky, and extremely painful if caught on the skin. But after a couple of goes, fudge making is simplicity itself, and once the basics are in place, its possible to experiment with flavours and textures. For this recipe, I've used Calvados brandy and raisins, but the fruit and brandy could easily be substituted with chocolate chips, nuts - or just a splash of vanilla.

Ingredients:

397 ml tin condensed milk

150ml milk

450ml granulated sugar

115ml butter

Raisins

Calvados brandy

Method:

1 Put condensed milk, milk, sugar and butter into a sturdy pan and bring gently up to boil, stirring all the time to avoid mixture sticking.

2 Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Mixture will start to thicken.

3 You need to get mixture to 118c. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a small amount into a saucer of very cold water. If it sets and can be rolled into a small ball, mixture has reached the required temperature. This might take some time, and don't be tempted to give up - it will never set if it hasn't got hot enough.

4 Remove from heat and add raisins and brandy. Using a hand mixer, or electric mixer, beat for between five and ten minutes until mixture is good and thick. Again, don't be tempted to give up here - if its not thick enough, it won't set properly.

5 Put in tin, lined with greaseproof paper, and press into corners. Before it is fully set, mark out chunks with a sharp knife. Put in fridge to set.