Oh Fudge It!

What does fudge mean to you? Should it be smooth, creamy and soft? A bit chewy? Crumbly and melt in the mouth? Some people think fudge is always made with chocolate. It’s sweet, it’s sugary, it’ll send your blood sugar through the roof but, what is it?

At an event last year, a customer took a sample from my table and asked what it was. She was quite shocked when I told her it was fudge as she’d never tasted fudge that hadn’t been made in a microwave so didn’t recognise the texture. That got me thinking about all the different types of sweet treats out there calling themselves fudge. Which of them is “proper” fudge? Is there a definitive answer?

Wikipedia says

Fudge is a type of sugar candy that is made by mixing sugar, butter and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at 240 °F (116 °C), and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency.

The old fashioned way

I agree with Wiki. That’s how I make most of my fudge. The word ‘fudge’ suggests something soft and squidgy yet, the traditional method produces a firmer result. It gives a sugary, melt in the mouth texture that crumbles when you cut it. I’d say, if it has straight, smooth edges, it’s not proper fudge!

Making this type of fudge is pretty labour intensive and can be tricky to get right. Two batches of fudge made to the same recipe and method by two people can be entirely different in colour and texture. Humidity also plays a part as it effects the rate at which the liquid boils. One pan of fudge may come to temperature in 20 minutes, whilst the next takes nearer 30. Take your eyes off it for a second and it can boil over or burn. Never, ever taste it while it’s cooking - hot sugar is nasty, burny stuff and you’ll do yourself a proper mischief!

It’s not tablet, it’s fudge

I’ve often had people ask if my fudge is Scottish tablet. I tell them it’s similar to tablet but, softer. Then they ask “but, is it tablet or not?”

In my experience, tablet is harder and more brittle yet, there is little difference between recipes for ‘authentic’ Scottish tablet and the recipe I use for the basis of most of my fudge. I think the difference is in the beating - the more you beat, the firmer the texture. The faster you beat, the smaller sugar crystals. Any professional tablet makers reading?

Microwave fudge

There’s a plethora of recipes for fudge made by sloshing ingredients into a bowl and blasting it in the microwave for a few minutes. They’re great for busy Mums and the kids can have fun helping to make them as well as eating the end results. Plus there’s no boiling sugar to worry about. Many of these recipes are even easier because they use ready made ingredients like cookies and jars of sweet spread. Microwave fudges have a completely different texture to boiled fudge, often being soft and squidgy, even a little chewy, and without the crumbly texture. And they cut into nice, even squares!

Would I eat it? Yes. Would I sell it? No, it’s cheating!

Fudge encounters of the third kind

Who remembers Wooly’s pick and mix? The third type of fudge most of us will probably have encountered is found in the pick and mix display. This is a pale, smooth and chewy substance that comes in perfectly straight, massed produced squares. I used to love it, even if the texture did set my teeth on edge! If this is your kind of fudge, you can still find it in a few High Street shops, online (packaged as ‘retro’) and, in cinema foyers at somewhat inflated prices.

Gourmet fudge - is it better?

There are lots of ‘gourmet’ fudge brands around. They may say their fudge is boiled in a 300 year old copper kettle, stirred 5 times anti-clockwise at noon on the second Wednesday of the month, or made only with cream from cows called Mary. But, is that worth a high price if it doesn’t taste good to you? At the London Coffee Festival, I tried a sample of very expensive 'award winning, crumbly fudge’ made by a company based in the West Country. I spat it out because it was overly sweet and cloying and stuck to the roof of my mouth. The texture was nasty. (I did spit it into a tissue, in case you were worried about my manners.)

Fudge, by any other name, would taste as sweet….

But, what’s poison to one witch is ambrosia to another. Ultimately, it all comes down to personal taste. There may be a ‘proper’ way to make fudge but, boiled, microwaved or from an industrial vat, if you enjoy it, that’s good enough.

You can try our fudge (made in a cauldron under a full moon with butter only from cows called Edith) by clicking here!