Rainbow Popcorn

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid. Add the popcorn and shake the pan so it spreads out into a single layer. Cover and place over a high heat until the popcorn starts to pop. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until the popping noises have stopped. Shake the pan occasionally, but don’t lift the lid too early, or the popcorn will shoot out of the pan.

Transfer the popcorn carefully to a large bowl to cool, being careful to leave behind any unpopped kernels at the bottom of the saucepan.

Make a sugar syrup by gently melting together the sugar, butter, and 3 tbs of water. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted. Divide the mixture between 3 small bowls and add a few drops of different food colouring to each bowl until you have the desired shade.

Divide the cooled popcorn into 3 separate large bowls and pour the coloured syrup over each bowl, one at a time. You can use a large spoon or your hands to mix the colour into the popcorn (hands are more effective, but it is a messy job so you might want to wear plastic food preparation gloves).

Once the popcorn is coloured, spread a large sheet of greaseproof paper over a table and lay it out to dry, in a single layer, with the colours separated. When it is dry, toss it a little to break it up, then serve it in a large glass bowl, mixed together.