Home Made Fudge - think of the savings!

MrsTinks

I not so long ago started making my own fudge, mainly because it had always eluded me and frankly if I can't do something then I want to master it even more!!!

So I've been dabbling with fudges for a while and forcing my not very unwilling neighbours to taste test batches when I have come up with a new idea...

But it struck me that actually fudge isn't super cheap, so was it worth all this bleeding effort?

Here's the maths :money:

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk - £1.44
150ml milk £0.10
450g demerara sugar £0.70
115g butter £0.50

These prices are all working on todays Tesco prices for the ingredients I usually buy. It IS however very possible to reduce this if you take advantage of offers (the biggest culprit here is carnation condensed milk... none of my local stored sell an own brand option although they definitely exist!)

Total cost for roughly 950gr/1kg of fudge is £2.74

I personally added a dash of Irish cream from Lidl to the last batch and it's scrummy! At £3.99 the small amount you need is certainly less than £0.25!

Looking around and finding a low end comparison you're looking at £5 ish per kg for fudge. In my view this is not a very nice fudge, but hey... horses for courses

Tesco all butter fudge in a box comes in at £8.33 per kg.
Don't get me started on most of the handmade fudge shops who sell you fudge by the slice or block but refude to tell you how big these are :mad:

So shop bought, decent-ish fudge: £8.33 p/kg
Home made fudge: £2.74 p/kg and has room to be done cheaper.

Don't forget you can add your own flavourings too. (Chocolate is best done from a very different recipe, trust me!) And making your own really is easy and so much nicer than those dull packs from the supermarket (and you get to eat the trimmings - no calories! honest!)

Bettie

I always used evaporated milk for fudge and condensed milk for tablet. I don't make it these days as way too sweet and I'm trying to be good....Easter soon though so maybe make a few small boxes for the kids.

PasturesNew

If you love it and would buy it and if it's cheaper to make it .... why not.

But many people get sucked into the "it's cheaper" - and end up making stuff, then eating stuff, because they've convinced themselves it's a good thing to do .... and slowly the weight piles on and they don't know why

Just because you CAN make things, doesn't mean you should.... but if you genuinely would be buying fudge from shops, then it can make sense to investigate the cost of doing so.

It's not for me - shove an open bag of fudge in front of me and ask "want a bit?" then if it's cheapo stuff I'll have one piece, if it's posh/shop I'll go for 2-3 bits ....and that's my lot for 5 years or so

I have several fudge recipes that I look at from time to time....then I realise if I make it I have to eat it all! And that's a LOT of calories/sweeties that can't be justified.

Islandmaid

I make fudge alot and rarely eat it now, I like the fact I can individualise it for friends and family - seems to go down well.

I buy condensed milk from Lidl for around 85p a tin, it's often on offer at 79p - there kilo bags of brown sugar at about £1.90

MrsTinks

I think when it comes to fudge then it's very much a matter of "make it when you need it" - but you could say the same of any pudding or sweet

Whilst I don't always need fudge for people (I actually try not to eat a lot of it) - then I never have an issue off loading it with other people when I'm testing new variations. Then I make it for Christmas and I might make some for Easter this year... I've also made it for presents round the year and parties.

I like it because it is actually relatively quick to make and pretty cheap.

I hadn't thought of personalizing it but that's certainly a fabulous idea!

As I say I don't dispute there are cheaper condensed milks out there - just none I can easily obtain (it would cost me more in fuel to get to Lidl than I would save on the condensed milk) so I worked on what I consider the "worst case scenario" for cost

I also have some very expensive vanilla essence and paste which I haven't included as the possibilities are so vast, you could do almost anything you wished with filling and flavour so I opted to just compare a basic version

VfM4meplse

MrsTinks wrote: »

Here's the maths :money:

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk - £1.44

The last time I bought this, it was nearly £5 for a 1kg tin. You've bagged a bargain!

wondercollie

I have never successfully made tablet. My sons love the stuff. So now I just eat the condensed milk from the can.

I've tried the Asian brands in my supermarket. Bit cheaper, but I found it to be a bit thinner than Carnatin or Bordens. But then it's used in coffee by Vietnamese people, so maybe that's the reason.

There are recipes out there for homemade condensed milk

LameWolf

I have successfully made fudge before; but I can't find a reason to do so now. I don't have anyone to give it to as a gift, and I most assuredly do not need to gain any more weight!! Shame, because it is easy to do, and to make different variations.

Occasionally Mr LW buys a small bag from the apiarist at the farmers market - we buy our honey from him anyway, and he sells little bags of honey fudge - but that's a very small quantity, and it replaces a HM dessert when we have it. Yes it's more expensive per kg than I could make, but then I'd have to buy all the ingredients and make a large quantity - so either we'd end up a stone heavier each, or it'd sit around for ages til we were sick of the sight of it. (Sorry, I'm wittering now).

I have to confess, I don't know what "tablet" is in this context.

wondercollie

Tablet is a hard, Scottish fudge. So sweet it can make your teeth hurt. Best enjoyed with hot tea.

I think the real reason mine never works is my fear of boiling liquids. You boil and beat the mixture

Prinzessilein

Making your own fudge is only MSE if you don't scoff the lot on the day it is made!

Not really a problem for me as my weaknesses are savoury rather than sweet.....although Mum makes walnut tablet once a year (at Christmas) and I enjoy one small piece of that. (Boy is it ever sweet!)

VfM4meplse

wondercollie wrote: »

I've tried the Asian brands in my supermarket. Bit cheaper, but I found it to be a bit thinner than Carnatin or Bordens. But then it's used in coffee by Vietnamese people, so maybe that's the reason.

So is civet poo, I'm not persuaded