Noson Gyflaith (Toffee Evening) was a traditional part of Christmas in some areas of Wales when families would invite friends to their homes for an evening of making toffee and storytelling.
When the toffee had boiled it was poured onto a greased slate or stone slab. Then people would cover their hands with butter and while the toffee was still warm, people would pull and twist it until it was a golden yellow colour.
Housewives would also sell their toffee, which was also called taffi, dant, fanny or by the name of the person who made it, e.g. losin Mag.
The Recipe;
three pounds soft brown sugar
half a pound salted butter
juice of one lemon
quarter pint boiling water (or a little more according to the consistency of the sugar)
Using an enamel or steel pan, gradually melt the sugar in the boiling water over a low heat. Stir it continuously with a wooden spoon until the sugar is thoroughly melted. (This usually takes from twenty to thirty minutes.) Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the lemon juice and the softened butter, and stir in the sugar. Boil this mixture fairly briskly for a further fifteen minutes without stirring it.
Gently drop a teaspoonful of the mixture into a cupful of cold water, and if it hardens at once it has reached the required consistency. Pour the mixture slowly on to a large, flat dish previously greased with butter. (Do not scrape the pan clean as this mixture might turn the toffee back into sugar.) Butter the hands and 'pull' the toffee into long, golden strands while hot. Cut into smaller pieces.
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