Golden Syrup for Roly Poly Pudding

Asked by gloria3sa. Answered on 10th April 2015

Full question

Hello, I am from Colombia. We do not have golden syrup. I have read that I can substitute corn syrup or glucose syrup or honey - what should I use for Nigella's Roly Poly Pudding? I also want to know if the amount is the same, ie 240g golden syrup = 240g of honey etc? Can I make a mixture of the alternatives? Thank you and I really love Nigella's recipes!

Our answer

Golden syrup is a thick syrup that is a by-product of the sugar production process. The syrup is an invert sugar which means that it attracts water, so it tends to stay liquid and doesn't crystallize easily. It is popular in the UK in desserts such as Roly Poly Pudding and Treacle Tart. It can sometimes be found being sold as Lyle's syrup. We prefer not to use glucose syrup as an alternative, partly as it is very expensive.

Both honey and corn syrup can be used as alternatives but as honey tends to have quite a bit of flavour which can affect the dish, corn syrup is the most common substitute. We would tend to use light corn syrup as a substitute and you could mix both honey and corn syrup if you prefer. We would suggest no more than half honey because of the flavour. The quantity of corn syrup/honey/a mixture is exactly the same as for golden syrup, whether by weight or volume.