Ewan’s original Scottish tablet

FOR RECIPE, SEE PAGE 88

This tablet, or Scottish fudge, really is knockout. It does take a good half hour of stirring, and make sure you have that ice-cold water to hand. Well worth the effort. MAKES ABOUT 60 PIECES 80g salted butter 240ml whole milk 1 x 397g tin of condensed milk 900g granulated sugar

Before you start cooking, line a medium baking tin with baking parchment and fill the kitchen sink with ice-cold water – it should be deep enough to sit the pan in after cooking, without letting water in over the top of it.

Put the butter and milk into a large, heavy-based pan and place over a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the condensed milk and stir until smooth. Then add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon over a low heat until it has completely dissolved. Keep stirring over a low heat for 30 minutes in total, making sure that the mixture doesn’t boil or catch on the base of the pan. As you stir, the colour will change from pale cream to a richer, more golden shade.

After 30 minutes, turn up the heat and keep stirring for about another 10 minutes, until the colour darkens further and the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. You should smell a delicious sugary, almost caramel-like aroma. (Don’t be tempted to touch the mixture. It is dangerously hot.) Remove the pan from the heat and immediately place it in the ice-cold water, continuing to stir the mixture energetically. When it starts to thicken, pour out the mixture into the lined baking tin. Leave to cool, then score it into pieces. Store in an airtight container.