Remember, remember the Fifth of November, Gunpowder Treason and Plot, I know of no reason Why Gunpowder Treason Should ever be forgot.
I've always thought that the last line of the Guy Fawkes poem has one of the dodgiest rhymes of all time, unless, perhaps, you try reciting it in a broad drawl that would make Long John Silver proud. I like Bonfire Night, and am glad it's still with us. I remember back in the 80's seeing a couple of urchins in a desolate street up in North London parading a Guy Fawkes effigy around in a cart and demanding " Penny for the Guy, Guv'?". What on earth's happened to that tradition? Today, I suppose, they would take American Express.
Here's a classic Guy Fawkes recipe: Bonfire Toffee. Brush a large shallow baking tin with melted butter. Over a low heat, melt 450g of demerara sugar in 150ml of water, stirring with a wooden spoon now and again. Next add 125g of black treacle, 125g of golden syrup, 75g of butter, and half a level teaspoon of cream of tartar. Continue heating gently.
When the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat up, and start boiling the mixture rapidly until it reaches 270 F or 132 C. It's a good idea to use a kitchen thermometer. When the toffee is at the correct heat, you can drop a ball of the mixture into cold water, and it will separate into threads and become hard, but not brittle. Pour the mixture into the buttered tin, and leave to set. After about ten minutes, cut up the toffee into squares, and stick a walnut into each square. Eat.
