Instructions: Fake maple syrups (sometimes sneakily called "maple flavoured syrups) are not worth buying. They have a distinctly unpleasant flavour and you would do far better with a jar of runny honey or even golden syrup. Real 100% pure maple syrup is like nothing else one of the alltime most voluptuous sticky and finely scented sweeteners you can lay your lucky hands on. It does not come cheap but pour it over a tower of hot buttermilk pancakes oozing melted butter and I bet you will reckon that it is worth every penny.

The sapping season comes towards the end of winter when the first signs of spring are in the air. Nights are still bitterly cold but the day is noticeably warmer and the sap begins to flow through the trees in preparation for the new season. Sugar and black maples produce the most sap the Norway maple comes hot on their heels. The larger the diameter of the trunk and the greater the spread of foliage the more sap the tree will yield.

Maple syrup is traditionally collected by drilling holes into the tree trunk 5cm to 8cm deep and no more so that the tree is not damaged and pushing spiles (spouts made of wood or metal) into the holes. A bucket is then slung underneath and regularly emptied as the level of clear liquid rises towards the brim. A healthy tree can produce somewhere between 12 and 16 gallons of sap (about 50 to 70 litres) which sounds a lot until you realise that it takes 35 gallons or more to make just 1 gallon of maple syrup. In the sugar house the sap is boiled down in big open vats until it reaches the required density. It is then filtered and bottled.

The states of Vermont and New York are Americas main producers of maple syrup but Canada in particular Quebec could wash them away with its tidal output of the stuff The lighter the colour the more delicate the flavour. Light amber" or "fancy" syrups are recommended for pouring on pancakes and waffles or over ice creams. Darker hazelnutcoloured syrup (if it is Canadian it will be graded as Canada No 2 Amber) has a stronger flavour that makes it a better bet for cooking. Unopened maple syrup will keep almost indefinitely in a dark cupboard (dont worry about any crystals that may form) but once opened it should always be stored in the fridge.

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