Bonfire Night in Yorkshire means parkin. Sticky, dark, a bit chewy, eaten in a coat with your hands smelling of sparklers. Every family has its own version, and this is ours. The twist is simple. Most recipes use golden syrup. We use honey.

Why honey works in parkin

Golden syrup is there for sweetness and that lovely damp, sticky texture. Honey does both, and it brings a bit of flavour of its own. A runny summer honey gives a soft, rounded taste. Set honey works too, you just warm it with the butter so it melts down.

One thing to know. Honey browns faster than syrup, so we bake it a touch lower and keep an eye on the top.

What you need

For a 20cm square tin:

200g butter
150g honey
100g black treacle
100g dark muscovado sugar
225g medium oatmeal
110g self-raising flour
3 to 4 tsp ground ginger, depending how fiery you like it
1 tsp mixed spice
A pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp milk

Method

Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan). Grease the tin and line it with baking paper.
Put the butter, honey, treacle and sugar in a pan over a low heat. Stir until it’s all melted together. Don’t let it boil.
In a big bowl, mix the oatmeal, flour, ginger, mixed spice and salt.
Pour the warm mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well. Then beat in the eggs and the milk. It’ll be quite loose. That’s right.
Pour it into the tin and bake for about an hour, until it’s firm in the middle. If the top darkens too quickly, lay a sheet of foil over it for the last 15 minutes.
Leave it to cool in the tin before you cut it.

The hard part: waiting

Parkin is better after a few days. Wrap it in baking paper, put it in a tin and leave it alone for three or four days if you can. It goes stickier and the ginger mellows. So if you’re making it for the fifth, bake it at the weekend before.

It keeps for a good week or two in a tin, assuming anybody lets it.

Which honey to use

Any of our Yorkshire honey will do the job. A runny summer honey is easiest to measure. If you’ve got a jar that’s set solid at the back of the cupboard, this is a perfect way to use it up.

A quick reminder, as with anything made with honey: it’s not suitable for babies under twelve months.

Have a safe Bonfire Night, and keep the pets in.