B IS FOR Brownie and not Brexit.

I’ve been itching to publish a really good brownie recipe for ages.

They are appropriate to eat with a cold glass of milk or cup of strong coffee, and are guaranteed to get you through even the grimmest of afternoons making a darkly delicious point.

It seems almost impossible to imagine life without brownies today, for any sweet-toothed, Willy Wonka chocolate fan!

But let’s face it, there are some horrors out there, besmirching the good and happy name of the ‘’brownie’’.

I’m not really talking about homemade ones here - even the failures have their sweet charms – I’m more ticked off with the commercial ones.

They can be a joyless peat-bog affair, dry, crumbly, cakey, with none of the meaning of seductiveness from the real thing.

For me a brownie should always crackle on top, with a rich, deep, dense and chewy middle verging on underdone.

Making them at home is very easy: it’s remarkable that one of the world’s greatest sweet treats takes so little effort to conjure up.

It’s a comfort to think that with a hot oven and a well-stocked baking cupboard you’re never more than an hour away from a fudgy square of delightful joy.

That is, unless you find a few empty chocolate wrappers at the back of your cupboard before you start.

A well-made homemade brownie must always have good-quality dark chocolate included - anything less will not do as they can end up just too sweet.

I’m devoted to using Fairtrade chocolate and cocoa powder for my brownie fix, and I like to think I’m a purist baker.

For those not familiar with Fairtrade, it is basically produce or goods that are traded at a fair price for the producer.

It is a fair and equal exchange, as well as improving the living and working conditions for the producer.

Our very own village of Haworth became the first Fairtrade Village in the world just a few years ago, after long ago being the home of the Bronte family and Railway Children.

I applaud the fantastic work everyone does to promote Fairtrade, but let’s remember chocolate is a treat for us and not a living income.

Please support this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (February 25-March 10) and bake some delicious chocolate treats for the family!