Yellowman

Ingredients

Base

• 450 ggolden syrup
• 100 gsoft brown sugar
• 2 tbspwater
• 1 tbspcider vinegar
• 50 gbutter

The lift

• 2 tspbicarbonate of soda, sifted

Equipment

• a very deep heavy pan, far larger than you think
• a sugar thermometer
• a lined tray
• a wooden spoon

To serve

• broken into chunks, with dulse
• at the Ould Lammas Fair

Directions

1. Use a pan several times deeper than the volume of syrup, and never a shallow one.
2. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen, wear long sleeves, and never lean over the pot when the bicarbonate goes in. Have the lined tray ready and within reach before you start, since there is no time to look for it afterwards.
3. Put the golden syrup, sugar, water, vinegar and butter in the deep pan over a low heat. Stir gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. Now stop stirring it entirely.
4. Swirl the pan if you must. The vinegar is there to invert some of the sugar and it helps prevent crystallising. Use a thermometer. Below hard crack it stays sticky and soft; much above and it colours and turns bitter.
5. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Add the sifted bicarbonate of soda all at once and stir it in quickly with a wooden spoon.
6. Sift it first, since lumps of bicarbonate leave bitter soapy pockets in the finished toffee. Stand back as you stir. Stir only until it is just combined, for a few seconds. Do not spread it or level it at all.
7. Let it find its own shape. Spreading it collapses the bubbles, and an uneven lumpy slab is exactly what yellowman should look like. Leave it completely alone to set. Now let it cool for at least an hour, until hard. Serve it in chunks, and traditionally with dulse alongside.

Technique

• The bicarbonate causes a violent eruption, so the pan must be very deep.
• The Ould Lammas Fair is held at Ballycastle each August.
• It absorbs moisture quickly and must be stored airtight.

Substitutions

• Any golden syrup or light treacle.
• Lemon juice in place of vinegar.

Variations

• Dipped in dark chocolate.
• Made with honey for part of the syrup.
• Crushed over ice cream.

History

Long associated with the Ould Lammas Fair at Ballycastle, County Antrim, where it is sold alongside dulse.

Frequently asked questions

What is Yellowman?

Yellowman is a snack from Ireland: brittle golden honeycomb toffee sold in chunks. Long associated with the Ould Lammas Fair at Ballycastle, County Antrim, where it is sold alongside dulse.

How long does Yellowman take to make?

Yellowman takes 10 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 tray, broken into chunks. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Yellowman?

Yes, within limits. Any golden syrup or light treacle. Lemon juice in place of vinegar.

What is the most important thing to get right in Yellowman?

Use a pan several times deeper than the volume of syrup, and never a shallow one.