27 years to celebrate today, so a cake was required.  The thing is, the birthday boy lives and works in the midst of everything his heart desires where food is concerned, so I didn’t feel inclined to attempt any patisserie challenge on this occasion.  And anyway, there are some things Mummy can make that no amount of money can buy…

The ingredients are few, but in the case of plain and simple toffees, harder to find than one might expect.

The process is straightforward enough and beloved of every five year old friend who comes for the afternoon.

Stirring is very important and has to be done with great concentration.

Just when you think the butter will never melt, the marshmallows are going to stay all puffy and the toffee is going to be stuck to the bottom of the spoon forever, it all comes together in one sweetly scented pinky beige mass.

Even though it appears impossible that a whole packet of Rice Krispies will go into that pan, somehow it can be done.

More stirring is needed to make sure every single Rice Krispie is as sticky as the rest.

Then it can be emptied into the lined baking tin and pressed into shape.  After a couple of hours in the fridge it’s ready to be cut into squares and packaged up for the journey.

The bag might suggest that it came from a posh London store, but actually, it’s way more exclusive than that.

The birthday boy will be thrilled, I know.

And best of all, there might be a few trimmings for his proud parents to share on the way to meet him