Anise hammers

Aniseed hammers, known locally as congos, are hard boiled sugar sweets with a pronounced aniseed flavour. They're made the traditional way: the sugar mass is boiled at high temperature until it crystallises hard, after which the aniseed flavour is worked in.

The result is a firm sweet that dissolves slowly and holds its flavour for a long time. The nickname congos still lives on among those who remember this old-time classic, and the recipe has barely changed over the years. Anyone looking for genuine, old-fashioned aniseed flavour without frills will find it here.