Place the sugar into a heavy based pot and soak with a little water.
Bring slowly to the boil and brush the edges with a pastry brush dipped in water to keep the sides of the pot clean.
Add a splash of vinegar.
Wash the apples if necessary, remove the stalks and poke the sticks into the end of the apples
The sugar will begin to thicken and start to colour a light shade of amber. This is the time to be careful.
Watch carefully wiping the sides of the pot every now and then with the wet pastry brush to keep clean.
Hot caramel is extremely dangerous so this is not a job for children!
Fill a large bowl or the sink with 4cm cold water.
You are looking for a caramel colour with a slight reddish tinge – remove from the heat immediately and immerse the base of the pot into the cold water to knock the temperature back. Leave for a couple of minutes.
Add a splash of red food colouring and swirl into the caramel.
Dip the apples into the toffee immersing and turning them to make sure the whole apple is covered. Lift and allow the excess toffee to fall away from the apple.
Place onto the grease proof paper and allow to set.
