The Home-made Sweet Shop

Indulge yourself with the ultimate pleasure of home-made confectionery, including boiled sweets, taffies, toffees, fudges, marshmallows, nougats, marzipan, candied fruits and a fabulous range of truffles, shaped chocolates and chocolate confections.

Step-by-step recipes include all the well-known classics such as Peppermint Humbugs, Honeycomb, Peanut Brittle and Dark Chocolate Truffles, as well as modern twists on traditional ideas, like Rosewater Edinburgh Rock, Fresh Coconut and Cardamom Caramels, Almond Milk Fudge and Liquorice Star Anise Drops.

A fascinating introduction reveals the history and traditions of sweets and chocolates, as well as providing expert information about key ingredients, special equipment and basic techniques such as tempering chocolate.

Packed with cook's tips and variations, as well as more than 450 specially commissioned photographs, this irresistible guide to making confections will enable cooks of all abilities to recreate their best-loved sweets and chocolates at home, and introduce you to a whole new world of delights.

A California native, Claire Ptak trained as a pastry chef for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, United States, before moving to London with her husband, where she worked in restaurants including Moro, The Anchor and Hope and St. John before starting Violet Cakes, her stall at the popular Broadway Market in east London where she sells cupcakes and other sweet treats to a very loyal following.