Monsieur Bon Bon's Secret Fooj

This is very different from my grandmother's Chocolate Fudge recipe but is equally delicious and easier to make. The golden syrup adds a bit of texture and gives it a lovely glossy finish.

This recipe is credited to Ian Fleming, author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car but perhaps better known as the creator of James Bond 007.

As a child, my brother was the proud recipient of the three volumes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and this recipe is included at the back of Vol. 3. In the story, Madame Bon Bon gives the recipe of her world famous fudge to the Potts children as a reward for helping to prevent a burglary at their Parisian chocolate shop. Here it is, carefully written out by my grandmother on a scrap of paper. Enjoy!

450g granulated sugar

1 small tin of condensed milk (about 400g)

110g butter

1 tbsp water

4 tbsp dark chocolate (40g)

1 tbsp golden syrup

Butter a square tin (about 20cm)

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Melt slowly over a low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and is absolutely smooth. Then turn up the heat and boil very quickly (stirring occasionally) until it forms a soft ball when a sample is dropped into cold water. This takes about five minutes.

Remove from the heat and beat well with a wooden spoon.

Pour the mixture into a flat greased tin and when slightly cooled, mark into squares. Leave to set.

When cold, DEVOUR!