Traditional English Recipes
Chocolates and Sweets

England's love affair with chocolate has been going since about 1650 - when the first coffee shop selling hot chocolate opened in Oxford - and it's showing no sign of stopping.

Vast quantities of chocolates are bought, eaten and given away daily all over the country: from champagne truffles to violet creams, chocolate is everywhere.

But the English love for sweets goes further. We also love jellies, fudge, caramel and lemon drops. Not to mention gob stoppers, Sherbet Lemons, Bulls Eyes, Coconut Ice and Pontefract Cake.

And we have a sheer endless list of traditional English recipes for toffee apples, chocolate almonds, butter scotch, lemon drops and Turkish delight.

Here is where my German upbringing really shows through: I have no idea what half these things are, how they taste or how you can make them.

But fear not... I'm going to find out!

So if you always wanted to make your own traditional sweets then bookmark this page and keep an eye on this section. I'm sure I'm soon back with some traditional English recipes for home-made sweets.

Toffee Apples

Very much an autumn fairground treat, toffee apples are a wonderful contrast between tart apple and crips sugar shell. If you're looking to cook up a very special treat for the kids' Halloween party, they're a very good option. Try the recipe...

Lemon Drops

Shame it's not raining those! I've always had a liking for all things lemony and that certainly hasn't changed with the years. So I was really impressed to find a traditional English recipe for making my very own boiled sweets. And as soon as I've tried it, the recipe will be here.

Chocolate Hazelnuts

Chocolate-covered nuts make a wonderful nibble and they're so easy, even the kids can make them. So if you have an hour spare, why not lightly toast a bag of shelled hazelnuts in a medium oven without letting them brown. While they cool, break a slab of dark chocolate (70% minimum cocoa solids) into a bowl and melt it over slowly simmering water. Then take the hazelnuts one by one and dunk them into the chocolate. Spread on a tray to dry and harden before serving.

Paprika Almonds

One of the first nibbles I ever made. I cannot remember how old I was, just that I scoffed the lot while still hot! All you need is a bag of shelled, peeled almonds, one egg white, salt and paprika.

Pre-heat your oven to medium. In a bowl beat the egg white with a pinch of salt - it doesn't need to be stiff, just mixed. Tip in the almonds and make sure they're coated allround with the egg white. Spread the lot out on a non-stick baking tray and sprinkle liberally with salt and paprika.

Bake in the oven until golden and delicious. You can eat them straight from the oven or let them cool and keep them in a tightly closed jar until needed.

Marzipan Potatoes

These are a Christmas treat that I can eat all year round without any effort at all. To make them yourself you need nothing more than good quality marzipan and dark cocoa powder.

Pour a couple of spoons of cocoa powder into a shallow plate. Knead the marzipan until pliable, then pinch off a little piece (like a large marble) and roll it between your hands until you have a marble shape. Roll the marzipan in the cocoa powder and place on a napkin to dry a little.

Serve with coffee and Amaretto liqueur.

I've more traditional English recipes for sweets and nibbled on my list, including a very old recipe for Turkish Delight that I want to make for Christmas this year.. so keep an eye on this page.