How one blacksmith became the king of sweet almonds
Located in between some of the bigger boys of festival munch Tudor Pralines is almost hidden. I watch from across the path and see countless people miss it as they move from stall to stall. But to skip Nathan Williams’ small but perfect little pitch would be to miss out on the star of the show.
Originally a blacksmith, Nathan and his wife used to visit festivals up and down the country selling his beautful ironmongery. But whilst Nathan was flogging metal, his wife longed for a way to pass the time at each event. She decided pralines were as good a place to play as any and together they spend the best part of a decade testing, honing, and perfecting their recipie for these dainty nuggets of nutty joy. They use traditional copper kettles to roast the almonds and wrap each one in their signature, salted caramel honeycomb.
The result looks – well – not that great actually. A bit knobbly. A bit crispy. Brownish red. They don’t photograph well.
But pop one in your mouth and you’re transported to another world. The first crunch is much harder than you expect – you’ve got to work to get into the sweet goodness beneath. As you break the seal the creaminess of the almond, the crunch of the casing, and the butteriness of the sugar all meld into a mind bending texture and flavour combo. Good for you these are not but they are, quite simply, the best nibbles in the UK right now.
They cost £15 for three bags weighing 120g each or you can buy a decorative 500g gift box for £20. They are available here: http://www.tudorspralines.co.uk/store/