Yellowman is a golden, porous candy closely associated with the August fair in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. Golden syrup, brown sugar, and butter are cooked to 150°C / 302°F; baking soda makes the mixture foam and expand before it sets. The inside is full of honeycomb-like holes, and the candy snaps and melts in your mouth. Temperature is critical: without a thermometer, the candy may stay sticky or burn.
Grease a 20 × 20 cm pan with butter. Put the baking soda in a small sieve and keep it beside the stove; there will be no time to wait in the next step.
Put the golden syrup, brown sugar, butter, and vinegar in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir over low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, raise the heat to medium, and boil for 12–15 minutes, until a thermometer reads 150°C / 302°F. Without a thermometer, drop a little into ice water: it should harden immediately and snap crisply. Boiling sugar sticks to skin and can cause deep burns; stay by the pot and keep children away.
Remove the pot from the heat, sift the baking soda over the mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon for just 5 seconds, until combined. The mixture will foam and triple in volume. Do not overmix or the bubbles will collapse.
Immediately pour the foam into the pan. Do not spread it, or the bubbles will collapse.
Once the candy has hardened, remove it from the pan and tap it with the handle of a knife to break it into 24 irregular pieces.
Let the candy cool untouched in the pan for at least 1 hour, until completely hard. It absorbs moisture, so store the pieces in an airtight container.
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