Scottish Tablet Ice Cream

If you're not already familiar with Scottish tablet, settle in and prepare for your life to be changed. And before you stop reading because you don't like fudge and nothing can change your mind, let me just tell you about this variation, because you need to know. Tablet is something very different to fudge and it is very special, indeed.

Sweet, buttery, crumbly and slightly salty, there is something very moreish about tablet - something that regular fudge just doesn't offer. I've loved the stuff my whole life; my mum is Scottish and immersing myself in everything the country has to offer is part and parcel of all my visits to Scotland. 

While on a recent trip to Glasgow my mum and I discovered tablet ice cream, which amazed us, despite its simplicity. Take something already decadent and make it even more indulgent, because why not?

I have had a fair bit of spare time on my hands recently (more on that to follow soon) and given the glorious weather we've been blessed with I decided to have a go at making my own tablet ice cream when we returned home, with the help of my mum, of course. It was so easy to make and tastes absolutely unreal. The ice cream we made was a recipe we found online but you can use bought ice cream, and the cones were the cheap wafer ones from Tesco – there's no need to be fancy.

Recipe for Scottish Tablet 

Ingredients:

- 397g can of condensed milk

- 397ml full fat milk (use the condensed milk can to measure)

- 1kg bag of white sugar

- 125g unsalted butter

- A few pinches of vanilla sea salt

Method:

It starts with condensed milk – a canful – and the same amount of full fat milk in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and butter and let it all melt very slowly on a low heat. This might take a while (up to half an hour), but keep an eye on it and stir with a wooden spoon until all the sugar has dissolved. 

Next, you'll need to turn the heat up a little and allow the mixture to bubble away, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't burn. You need to be vigilant at this stage as it will take time for the tablet to change colour – you want a light brown, fudgey colour. Once it reaches this stage you can add the vanilla sea salt and beat the mixture for up to ten minutes until it is thick and grainy. 

Pour very quickly (it will start to set) into a baking tray lined with parchment and score out squares. When completely cool, break up into pieces and fold as much as you like into the almost-set ice cream. The rest can be kept in an airtight tin for up to a month, but it won't last that long.