Nigella's hokey pokey won't set.

[poshsinglemum]

I have tried the recipie for Nigella's Hockey Pockey (honeycomb) twice now. I got the recipie from the internet but I think that it's from Nigella express.

It won't go brittle when it sets but instead goes thin and tacky. What am I doing wrong? I am not stirring the saucepan with syrup and sugar in it but I have swirled it- is this to blame? How long should I leave it to bubble for?
I have been using bicarbonate of soda.

Can't help you psm but can sympathise. I've had to bin £££'s worth of good food twice due to Nigella's recipes not doing what they are supposed to.

First was 'snickerdoodles' and second was the chocolate chestnut cups from Nigella Christmas.

From now on I'm going to enjoy her writing and cook recipes from somebody more reliable.

Good luck!

YY, I made hokey pokey once, it was a total disaster. It sort of set to start with but then I put it in jars and it dissolved into goo at the bottom.

Not only that but it tasted disgusting.

I do like a lot of Nigella's other recipes though, I wouldn't let it put me off her whole canon.

I went to a party last week where someone had bought some very gooey hokey pokey so I guess that it was Nigella's!

hi I put it in the freezer, lol

I had excatly the same problem with Nigella's HP .

I think Rachel Allen has a recipe - will take a look now.

perhaps not letting it get to hard crack stage? I find it takes longer than you think (and I don't have a thermometer - i drop a blob in cold water then take it out and snap it)

I do 100g caster sugar, 3tbsp golden syrup, 1tsp bicarb - don't know what nigella's quantities are though

agree that Nige can be very hit and miss. the recipes that work are ace, but every third one seems to be ropey.

I had the same problem last week. Tried again with gordon ramsay's recipe for homemade honeycomb (googled, it was from the times) and it worked brilliantly first time.

Just googled and this old thread came up.

Making this tonight but it isn't setting. I followed Nigella's recipe. It is still really pliable and chewy, no crispness at all.

nigella's recipe is very hit or miss, first time i did it, it worked fine, ever since it's just ended up in the bin!

Argh, and it looked so easy from the recipe too!

Mine did the same. Set at first then melted into one big swodge at the bottom of the tin.

My theory is that seeing as Nigella sneaks down in the night to finish stuff off,she doesn't count on it being in the jar long enough to decompose.