Kendal mint cake -long life food

[Andy]

My folks have just gone away for their holiday for two weeks. It seems my mother came across a bar of kendal mint cake in the cuboard where we keep sweets etc. Since I'm off biking for a week on tuesday she said I could have it, this was rather nice and it turned out to be a 170g block . I didn't think we'd had any for quite some time and indeed the bag it was in was quite old. The best before date is "nov 98"
If you don't hear from me you'll know why.

[bloodline]

If you dont make it back can I have your bike and any kit you leave

[lardbloke]

I have always found the cake far too sweet for my tooth and usually carry chopped up apricots and dates (they last longer as well)..

[VIRULENT SALAMANDER]

.... .. with no teeth, mint cake stand's you on good ground with me(energy wise)!, because it melts in the mouth & tastes good too. At the last meet I found dryed fig's at the local sup.store "they are good"!.

I would not risk eatting it out of date and all that. If you don't come back can I have your motorcycle suit? .... .. lol.

[Tantalus]

nothing really to go wrong with kendal mint cake

it isnt a cake for a start

basically sugar and peppermint, the mint will leach out with age but the almost pure sugar content will make it safe from bugs and bacteria

Tant

[Andy]

that's what I thought. given that I have raided the pot of sugar in an emergancy in the past I can't imagin this being worse

[Tantalus]

good to hear you are still alive Andy

Tant

[Andy]

it's tuesday morning that I leave.
So far all I've got done for the trip is sharpen the knife that's going with me

[TwoFourAlpha]

A Sergeant of mine once introduced me to 'mint cake tea'

Takes about two minutes to make, and, by god, warms you right up on those November nights on Luneberg Heide.

Oh, just in case you misunderstand, there's no tea bags involved.

[spamel]

TwoFourAlpha, share the info, it sounds very interesting!!

[arctic hobo]

Yes yes sounds very good

[Graham_S]

i suspect it goes a little like this..................
1. take cup of hot water
2. add kendal mint cake
3. drink

[TwoFourAlpha]

Graham_S -
Got it in one.

Not noted for their inventiveness, yer actual squaddie....

[Toddy]

It's vile stuff, I'd rather have tablet any day.

I make uncooked mint sweeties with children though.
100g icing sugar
Half a teaspoonful of mint essence
2 teaspoonsful of glycerine
*very* little water.

Make a well in the icing sugar, drop in 2 teaspoonsful of water, add peppermint essence and glycerine and mix everything together adding more water, drop by drop until a stiff dough is achieved. Roll into a sausage shape and leave to set for about half an hour. Slice into rounds between 5 and 8mm thick and lay out to dry a little. Dip in melted chocolate if desired. Keeps well if kept dry.
Alternatively use orange oil instead of mint essence and glycerine......dipped in chocolate these are brilliant

Cheers,
Toddy

[Schwert]

Wonderful stuff. No worries on the age either, I have eaten it years out of date...it is just a bit harder on your teeth....will it break before your tooth does?

The tea may be just the thing for well aged Kendall Cake.

Just reading the box gives me energy. It is sort of like the Dr. Bonners of food.

[Andy]

well I'm back from my camping trip and I'm alive....


We only stayed one night and today the weather got far worse and campsites were having trouble and it was too windy to ride in places. I didn't get to eat any of the stuff.
It has however remained in one piece despite being in a pannier that's had a rough 2days

[demographic]

The only reason it has lasted in the cupboard so long is cos Kendal Mint cake tastes bloody manky
Waaaayyy too sweet for me.

[Motorbike Man]

It's vile stuff, I'd rather have tablet any day.

I make uncooked mint sweeties with children though.
100g icing sugar
Half a teaspoonful of mint essence
2 teaspoonsful of glycerine
*very* little water.

Make a well in the icing sugar, drop in 2 teaspoonsful of water, add peppermint essence and glycerine and mix everything together adding more water, drop by drop until a stiff dough is achieved. Roll into a sausage shape and leave to set for about half an hour. Slice into rounds between 5 and 8mm thick and lay out to dry a little. Dip in melted chocolate if desired. Keeps well if kept dry.
Alternatively use orange oil instead of mint essence and glycerine......dipped in chocolate these are brilliant

Cheers,
Toddy

Do you have a particular recipe for Tablet Toddy? I remember my Mum making it and it was one cup of milk to two cups of suger and just reduced down to a syrup and then set in the fridge

[Toddy]

Do you have a particular recipe for Tablet Toddy? I remember my Mum making it and it was one cup of milk to two cups of suger and just reduced down to a syrup and then set in the fridge

Uhuh but men make the best tablet, not women. HWMBLT has gone to bed but I'll ask him to write out the recipe tomorrow and pass it on. It's incredibly sweet but absolutely glorious stuff. Gavin's recipe uses butter and condensed milk and sugar.
I've got a recipe somewhere for Kendal mint cake too. It's just a boiled fondant.
Shall I find it too?
Cheers,Toddy

[Shepherd]

I remember running low on rations and after emptying out packs on a snowy mountain we made 'Kendal Mint Toddy'.

1. take cup of hot water
2. add kendal mint cake
3. add contents of hip flask
4. drink and be merry

[Motorbike Man]

Uhuh but men make the best tablet, not women. HWMBLT has gone to bed but I'll ask him to write out the recipe tomorrow and pass it on. It's incredibly sweet but absolutely glorious stuff. Gavin's recipe uses butter and condensed milk and sugar.
I've got a recipe somewhere for Kendal mint cake too. It's just a boiled fondant.
Shall I find it too?
Cheers,Toddy

Yes please I don't often eat Kendall Mint cake, but every now and then, I get a craving for it and have to nip down to OBs just down the road

[arctic hobo]

I remember running low on rations and after emptying out packs on a snowy mountain we made 'Kendal Mint Toddy'.

1. take cup of hot water
2. add kendal mint cake
3. add contents of hip flask
4. drink and be merry

You're not the only one... happy days

[Motorbike Man]

Uhuh but men make the best tablet, not women. HWMBLT has gone to bed but I'll ask him to write out the recipe tomorrow and pass it on. It's incredibly sweet but absolutely glorious stuff. Gavin's recipe uses butter and condensed milk and sugar.
I've got a recipe somewhere for Kendal mint cake too. It's just a boiled fondant.
Shall I find it too?
Cheers,Toddy

Any news on those recipes Toddy?

[Toddy]

Ooops sorry.
First full day off in ages and I'm still trying to catch up on all of the things I've promised to do.
I'll get the tablet recipe posted tomorrow. Meanwhile.....boiled sugar fondant.

150 ml water
450 gms granulated or caster sugar
As much cream of tartar as you can hold between thumb and first two fingers dissolved in less that a teaspoonful of hot water
Half a teaspoonful of peppermint or spearmint essence or 10 drops essential oil.

Use a heavy based pot with deep sides. Add water and begin to heat. Pour in sugar and stir until it dissolves; use a metal spoon. Make sure you get all of the crystals around the pot dissolved too.
Bring the syrup slowly to the boil and then add the cream of tartar.
The mixture has to be brought to the boil temperature that is known as "soft ball". That is between 113 to 116 oC on a sugar thermometer or if a little of the syrup is dropped into a cup of cold water it makes a soft ball which can be lifted out of the water. Once it reaches this stage remove the pot from the heat and set aside until the bubbles stop.

Now comes the tricky part If you don't have marble slab (if you do, wet it a little) use a stainless steel surface or I have used a scrubbed worktop, granny used the girdle (that's griddle to the rest of the world, ) Pour the syrup out onto the surface and as soon as a kind of skin forms at the edges start to stir the mix with a metal spatula. Use the kind of swirly motion you see for the flourish at the bottom of a page of fountain pen written on paper. A kind of figure of eight. The syrup will firm up to a white paste as it is cools and as it's worked. If you keep working it (time to use your hands here) it'll become like a smooth thick shiny icing. At this stage add the mint flavouring and mix really well. Add a couple of drops of colouring if desired too.

Roll out and cut to shape. Lay out on an icing sugar dusted tea towel or some kind of nonstick paper and leave in a warm dry place overnight. It will slowly harden out. When it's as firm as you'd like dip it into melted Green & Black's (if you've gone to all that effort, trust me, you won't want cheap chocolate!) or Galaxy or Milky Bar and let it set.

I've no idea how long it might last, I think my record is about a fortnight

Cheers,
Toddy

[Motorbike Man]

Cheers Toddy

[Toddy]

Okay, this is the original Gavin recipe.....and he's just made a potful There's a wonderful smell in the house.

Tablet Recipe

Ingredients
1kg bag of sugar
½ can of sweetened condensed milk
125g of butter
1 cup of milk or water
Method
Butter a tray ready for the tablet.
Have a mug of cold water ready for testing
Put all the ingredients in a high sided pan.
Stir continuously on a medium heat until all the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the heat up a bit.
Boil stirring continuously until when some of the tablet is dropped into cold water and you push it with your finger it forms a soft ball.
The tablet should be light coloured not brown. It is better to take it off the heat too early rather than too late. You can always reheat it if its too soft.
Stir the tablet vigorously until it becomes thick . If you cool the pan in cold water this saves you getting a sore arm.
Pour the tablet into the buttered tray to set.
Enjoy scraping out the pot.
Bribe somebody else to do the washing up.


Cheers,
Toddy

[Motorbike Man]

MMmmmmmm, I can't wait to give that a go

[innocent bystander]

Oooohh. Thats almost fudge :

1 tin of condensed milk
1/2 pack of marge
1lb of sugar.

Chuck it in a pan in that order and boil it, constantly stirring until the mix comes away from the pan. Add vanilla essence, rum, raisins or whatever you fancy, and keep going some more. Pour into a tray and allow to cool.
Very sweet. Very moreish. And when just right it literally dissolves in your mouth. And i am going to make some this arvo...

[Shewie]

Okay, this is the original Gavin recipe.....and he's just made a potful There's a wonderful smell in the house.

Tablet Recipe

Ingredients
1kg bag of sugar
½ can of sweetened condensed milk
125g of butter
1 cup of milk or water
Method
Butter a tray ready for the tablet.
Have a mug of cold water ready for testing
Put all the ingredients in a high sided pan.
Stir continuously on a medium heat until all the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the heat up a bit.
Boil stirring continuously until when some of the tablet is dropped into cold water and you push it with your finger it forms a soft ball.
The tablet should be light coloured not brown. It is better to take it off the heat too early rather than too late. You can always reheat it if its too soft.
Stir the tablet vigorously until it becomes thick . If you cool the pan in cold water this saves you getting a sore arm.
Pour the tablet into the buttered tray to set.
Enjoy scraping out the pot.
Bribe somebody else to do the washing up.


Cheers,
Toddy

Excellent


It took some finding but it was worth it.


Can this same recipe be done with normal milk Toddy ? I'll just save me a trip to Morrisons that's all.

[Toddy]

Ah wondered where that had gone

It would be better with evaporated milk and sugar rather than just ordinary milk tbh. It's a taste thing.
I have done it using dried milk.........long time ago, and it was full fat dried milk which we can't get nowadays I just made it up extra extra concentrated. I know someone who used slightly out of date baby milk too.

Only one way to find out I suppose
Let us know how you get on ?

cheers,
M