It’s half term. It’s a bank holiday weekend (woo!). We’re off to visit friends in Wiltshire tomorrow and I’ve made some chunky nut brittle to take as a gift. I’ve therefore burnt my arm because I always, ALWAYS burn myself when I boil sugar. Be warned. But it’s worth it. This salty, sweet, nutty chunk of deliciousness is one of my favourite things to nibble with coffee after dinner. And it’s perfect for wrapping up in cellophane with a nice bow and giving as a present. Just make sure you wait until it’s completely cold before you try any. Tempting though it may be, molten sugar is bloody lethal.

Ingredients:

• 150g caster sugar
• 80g roasted salted peanuts (or cashews if you prefer)
• 80g  almonds (unroasted)
• 80g walnuts or pecans (also unroasted)
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of regular (fine grain) salt

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.

1) Toast the nuts on a baking tray in the oven for about 8 minutes until they are golden and beautifully scented.

2) Put some baking parchment onto a baking tray or large wooden chopping board.

3) Tip the sugar into a large heavy bottomed saucepan, along with 3 tablespoons of water. Swirl the pan to get all the sugar wet (add more water if necessary).

4) Heat the sugar on a highish heat until it dissolves. Don’t, whatever you do, stir the sugar, just swirl the pan every now and then (more so towards the end).

5) Once the caramel has turned a lovely clear golden brown (probably after about 6-7 minutes) take the pan off the heat and stir in the nuts and sea salt.

6) Pour out onto the prepared baking parchment. Use a large spoon or forks or whatever you have to hand to spread it out as evenly as you can. You’ll need to move fairly swiftly as it sets really quickly. Sprinkle over the regular (fine grain) salt.

7) Leave to cool and set hard. Then break it up as gently as you can into bite sized pieces.

Yum!