An old Easter Treat

Tablet:  :
                      -5 [mass noun] Scottish a traditional sweet made 
                       from sugar, condensed milk, and butter.




In my memory, Easter is a bit of a blur.  It is a mixture of marshmallow eggs, suffering the after effects of too many cream eggs and saving my chocolate for as long as I could by 'helping' my sister eat hers.  At the forefront of my memory and appearing with complete clarity is my Nanna's Easter treats.  Every year without fail (including when I left home for University) my Nanna, knowing my distaste for hollow chocolate eggs, would present my sister and I with an ice-cream container full of 'Uncle Charlie's Tablet'.  This would more often than not precede a treasure hunt for the obligatory caramel eggs.


For those of you who don't know what Tablet is, it's simple:  Sugar, condensed milk, butter and milk.  All of life's goodness in one very sweet, eat one piece a day, lolly.  


The recipe for this is a treasure in itself.  'Uncle Charlie' is a dear family friend - Charlie Easson.  I have very fond memories of listening to Uncle Charlie and Aunty Christine, as I have always known them, chatting and laughing in their thick Scottish accents with my Grandparents.  Tablet also conjures up memories of sitting in bed at my Grandparents as my Nanna read Ollie and me a chapter of 'Wee MacGregor' - a very old book about a Scottish boy who always got into trouble and had a soft spot for Tablet.  


As it's so special and dear to me, I almost didn't want to share the recipe but how can I not.  It's fab.  I made a whole batch for the family this year but had forgotten how large it is - you can feed a small army with this as it is super sweet.  I'd recommend wrapping it in cellophane and giving small quantities away to people as an Easter (or any time of the year) gift.  As always, enjoy some for yourself first.




Uncle Charlie's Tablet:

Ingredients:


2 lbs Sugar 
Tin condensed milk 
3/4c Milk
2 ozs Butter






Instructions:
1.  Mix all ingredients together in a pot.
2.  Heat on warm heat to melt sugar.
3.  Bring to the boil - stir for 15 mins.
4.  Remove from heat and beat well with a wooden spoon.   This will get thicker as it gets cooler.
5.  When thickened but not hardened - pour into a sponge roll lined with baking paper.
6.  Leave to harden to a fudgey consistency and cut into small pieces (or if yours is like mine it'll be more of a breaking than a cutting exercise).   








P.S. When you're cutting the fudge there are usually some little crumbs.  GREAT for eating with ice cream!!!