Homemade sweets and candies are always a pleasure to make and to receive as a Valentine's Day gift.

A box of sugar-dusted, rose-scented Turkish Delight is something we often associate with Christmas but makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift packed into a box lined with waxed paper.

You could also try adding pure lemon extract and a drop of yellow food colour in place of the rosewater and pink colouring.

Turkish delight

Makes 20 pieces.

375g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

25g gelatine powder

100g cornflour

25g icing sugar

2–3 teaspoons rosewater

pink food-colouring paste

50g shelled unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

sunflower oil, for brushing the tin

Tip the sugar into a medium-sized pan and add the lemon juice and 300ml of water. Stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, then bring gently to the boil.

Mix the gelatine with 75g of the cornflour and 200ml water and add to the pan. Stir constantly until the gelatine has dissolved, then continue to simmer very gently for 20 minutes until thickened.

Mix together the remaining cornflour and the icing sugar. Lightly oil a 20cm square baking tin to a depth of 4–5cm and line it with clingfilm. Lightly dust the clingfilm with some of the cornflour mixture, tipping out the excess.

Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Add the rosewater, food colouring and pistachios and pour the mixture into the tin. Spread level and leave to cool for at least 4 hours or until completely set before cutting into squares and dusting with the rest of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture.

? Stored in an airtight container, these will keep for about a week.

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(Agencies)