A photo of a lit three wick crackle wick candle, with household string instead of wood

We waste an awful lot of stuff in this country, and I’m probably as guilty (or at least almost as guilty) as anyone else. I try, but it’s hard to get away from plastic packaging, and when something is broken, it’s difficult to persuade myself that it’s worthwhile repairing rather than chucking into bin.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but candles are everywhere at the moment. There are entire aisles dedicated to them in Asda, Tesco, and Home Bargains. You can get scented candles, candles with wooden wicks, candles with beautiful glass enclosures, and so on.

The appeal is irresistable, and various members of the househould have their own candle preferences. Around the bath in our recently redone bathroom are pillar candles, tealight candles, and super expensive candles (usually a gift) in beautiful thick glass enclosures.

The problem with these is that candles become unusable after a while. They burn down so far that they’re not practical to light, but still have around one fifth of their mass remaining.

Last night, the daughter and I gathered up all of the candle remnants, melted them in an old saucepan on the hob and made a new three-wicked candle in the glass carcass of an old Crackle Wick.

For wicks, we used string threaded through cardboard on the bottom, and suspended from a kebab skewer while it set. In future, I think it might be easier to push some matches or ice lolly sticks into the wax as it sets.