So I keep meaning to try these with the ready-cooked chestnuts to see how they come out. Since you start by cooking the chestnuts, to a point it shouldn't be too different. My only thought it that the tin/bottle ones may not absorb the sugar syrup quite as well as they tend to be that bit softer than when you cook yourself (so probably are less able to act like a "sponge"). I'd hope that as long as they absorb some and you give then that final glaze, they should still be good even if not quite as much of the sweet flavor throughout (they certainly will be soft enough).

Will I be able to make these with already cooked chestnuts as we don't get them in South africa we only get ones in tins or bottles

It's true, you don't need a lot of ingredients for this at all, just a bit of patience 🙂 But it's worth it, and a lovely introduction to chestnuts.

Thanks, I certainly can't take credit for the idea since it's a traditional recipe, but I agree it's a clever process (with tasty results!)