In defence of English fudge

I was mortified to read in Jackie’s recent post that she finds English fudge ‘ghastly.’ There’s a great variety of English fudges, but I’ll describe three here.

First, my father’s home-made variety: a traditional Christmas treat and gift at home. This was always made in two varieties – chocolate, and vanilla. Both were soft and crumbly, almost dry, and the chocolate was delightfully bitter.

Secondly, there is Devonshire clotted cream fudge, a real treat from back home in Devon. Soft, rich with cream, and a light brown colour. Vanilla is the most traditional flavouring, and often comes mass-produced in individually wrapped cubes and is often incredibly chewy. Other varieties, made in local shops, come in more irregular and slightly more crumbly varieties.

Familiar, however, to all Cambridge residents is the legendary fudge from Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen – thick slices in an array of flavours, from chocolate through strawberries to banoffee. Harder around the edges and soft and gooey in the middle, it’s heavenly. I’m a fan of the ‘after dinner mint’ variety – which is mint fudge surrounded by chocolate fudge. And the best thing? Free samples are handed out….