Remember, remember, the fifth of November. If you were lucky to attend the Tamworth Fireworks, you may have already been by for one of our most famous not-quite-wintery-not-quite-autumn treats. As Guy Fawkes Night begins, get ready to light your sparklers, go ‘ooh!’ at the sky and tuck into something special…some Bonfire Toffee!
I still have plenty of customers that remember this one fondly. If you haven’t tried it before or haven’t had it in a while, it might at first appear a bit strange. Bonfire Toffee is primarily made up of black treacle. Despite the name ‘toffee’ it is not actually chewy, it is hard-boiled. The name comes from a time, early 1800s, where the word was a bit more flexible. Not to mention pretty impressive, as we’ve known a lot of sweets that haven’t survived as long as this one, let alone with the same name!
Whilst the sweetness of it will vary brand by brand, it has a deep smokey taste and a touch more bitterness than other hard-boiled sweets. For fans wishing to speculate about how it became part of our bonfire night celebrations, it’s not hard to imagine why this would fit right in.
fWe have it in two forms: as a lollipop and individually wrapped confections. Some people may remember it as being poured into a deep dish which was broken up into small pieces when it hardened. If you’ve ever made it at home, or been lucky enough to have someone make it for you, you’re much more likely to have it this way!
If you don’t have this marvellous confection available near you, why not try making it yourself? We’ve got a tutorial if you visit us on TikTok here!