Now I need to start with abit of a disclaimer here- This tastes the same as golden syrup, looks the same as golden syrup, but isn’t technically golden syrup, more of a caramel syrup- but being honest, it is pretty much the same and a damned good substitute when you can’t get hold of the stuff, or just can’t be bothered going to the shops to get some as you can make this with 2 in-expensive items which you are more than likely going to have at home.
What I was desperately in need of was this, from Lyle’s, which unfortunately for me is a rarity here in Nuremberg unless you want to pay over €5 for a tiny tin or bottle from the British shop. This recipe cost around 40 cents to make!
Original production for this liquid gold started in 1883 and the recipe and tin have stayed the same all this time.
Initially, Golden syrup was made from the recovered molasses “washed” of the raw sugar crystals in the process of creating white sugar. This liquor is generally known as refiners return syrup. Now most golden syrups are made by specialist manufacturer by using half the refiners return syrup to fructose and glucose and blending it back again.
Home made “Golden Syrup”
You need just three Ingredients to make this syrup. Sugar, water and a slice of lemon.
You need a total of 600g of sugar, split into 100g and 500g.
3 tbsp water and 300ml of boiling water.
1/4 lemon wedge
In a heavy bottomed saucepan add 100g sugar and 3 tbsp of sugar.
Stir the water and the sugar continuously until you’ve reached a golden colour.
Carefully add 300ml of boiling water – this MUST be boiling water as your sugar solution will be over 150°c be very careful.
Next add the remaining sugar.
Bring this to a simmer, add a wedge of lemon and leave it it bubbling away for 45 minutes. The lemon stops the syrup from caramelizing any more.
Sterilize a jar by pouring boiling water into it and leave this for around 10 minutes.
Remove the lemon wedge and place a sieve over your jar.
Carefully pour your syrup into the jar. This will be very runny when it is hot, but don’t worry this will thicken as it cools.
Leave to cool for around an hour and you have perfect golden syrup to be used in your recipes, put on pancakes, add to your porridge, amongst other things!
I will be using mine to make some yummy cinder toffee!
Any questions feel free to put them in the comments below and I will do my very best to answer them!
Rachel Bakes 
Hooray! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this to make mooncake skin– the syrup is expensive in my town too, and I’d rather be able to just make it myself.
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Mooncake skin?! That sounds intriguing! Honestly its really easy to make and is a fraction of the cost to make! Let me know how you get on!
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Did you use white cane sugar or white beet sugar? Does it taste similar to Lyle’s? In Nuremberg, you’re likely to have beet sugar as standard unless the pack says cane. Having attempted very similar recipes 10 times previously, I’ve never managed to produce the same taste, once or twice I managed something vaguely ‘buttery’ but they always come out darker. The light ones taste like candy. None of mine were like Lyle’s. I would love to know how anyone can make it taste like Lyle’s because I too am abroad and it ain’t cheap here. I suspect Lyle’s process is secret and not easily worked out or copied.
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Hi lee,
I used caster sugar which I believe is beet?
It is a little more candy like than lyles as you’ve mentioned above.
I did a little research as to how Lyles is produced, it was actually a product of refining the cane sugar so is a little tricky to replicate at home. I would love to give this a try with cane sugar and see what the difference is!
I do use this in recipes and as a topping on pancakes and is a pretty great substitute in a foreign country!
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Thanks for the reply, Rachel. Caster sugar is usually for cakes and often has corn starch added. It can be beet or cane. Of course, some caster is pure and has no starch added. I think I have only used granulated white and also unrefined brown. The closest I came was using this method, google ‘Nisha Madhulika golden syrup’. However, when I compare most of mine to Lyle’s, I just want to throw in the towel and give up. But I think that some maturing over a week or two and even blending 2 batches together sometimes makes some of my attempts reasonable even if not like Lyle’s. Happy New Year, btw ! (PS M&S if they’re still in Germany do one too but I haven’t tried theirs yet. Their one is about a third cheaper than Lyle’s.)
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Sorry, just to clarify I used unrefined brown cane, and also separately granulated white beet. I did the most experimentation with white refined sugar because I think that’s closest to what they use. I haven’t tried white cane yet as can’t get it here. It might be that refined white cane sugar is necessary, and not beet.
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Ahh Gotcha!! Its good to compare!
I will scope out M&S!! Thanks as well for checking out the blog! 😀
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The M&S golden syrup (in a plastic bottle) does not taste like Lyle’s in the green tin. M&S’s is a pleasant, standard syrup but doesn’t have the special Lyle-like taste. My own syrups taste better, frankly. I have recently got my hands on organic white cane sugar but been unable to match Lyle’s flavour so far. We’ll see if maturing it for a week or two makes any difference (probably not).
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It’s a nice blog with exceptionally good photos and steps (apart from where you wrote sugar instead of water: “… add 100g sugar and 3 tbsp of >sugar<"). If someone wants to try the method you describe, there isn't really any better example online, because yours shows the steps, syrup colours, etc. In my case, I just can't get the Lyle taste out of that method, but I'm going to try again when I get my hands on some cane sugar. I think lemon juice and white vinegar comes into this somewhere somehow but I am not sure about whether the syrup would then be too acidic and need baking soda or similar to neutralise it to a pH of 6 or so. I can tell you that one of my attempts (not your recipe) started off with vingar and lemon juice and actually hurt my teeth when I tasted it 90 mins later, due to the acid. It's actually started me off with tooth sensitivity!
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