10 Simple ideas for honey…

March 17th, 2008

I’m in one of those moods.  Fed up with Winter’s grey skies, whenever there’s a day with the slightest glimmer of sunshine I’m jumping into it full steam ahead.  For whatever reason, crazy or not, the sweetness of honey makes me imagine it’s the middle of Summer right now…

Honey Bee

So we all know about honey, don’t we?  Bees collect nectar from flowers (the type of which influences the flavour of the honey) and make honey in beehives.  Simple.  Why can’t all food be as pure as this?  (OK, so it’s a little more complicated as this article shows).

The fact it’s so pure and natural is perhaps the reason why so many of us love it so much.  It does generally pass through various stages of filtration (and sometimes more) but it’s still closer to nature than most foods.

Bees make honey!

On a slight tangent - ever wondered why you don’t see much “Organic” honey?  I was in my local farm shop  when I saw a sign which explained this beautifully (words more or less accurate):

“Local honey.  Not organic.  Bees fly!”

Some great ideas for using honey continue below.

10 Simple ideas for Honey

  1. Drizzle over Greek yoghurt and enjoy as a simple breakfast
  2. Use in place of sugar in black tea - works great with a slice of lemon!
  3. Mix 1 tbsp with hot water, a shot of whiskey and a squeeze of lemon juice for simple sore throat relief.
  4. Drizzle over fresh strawberries and enjoy with a glass of champagne as a late night romantic treat
  5. Honey with mustard is a fantastic combination. How about mixing honey with wholegrain mustard as a great marinade for pork - or almost any other meat?
  6. Try a spoonful of Italian Chestnut Honey in Autumn when you’re cooking butternut squash soup for a great and different taste.
  7. Replace sugar with honey in cake recipes (but use about 1/3 less) - they’ll stay moister for longer and have a slightly different but still delicious taste.
  8. Mix with hot milk and a little raw garlic for a soothing cold and flu remedy.  No, really!  It tastes better than it sounds and the garlic is a natural antibiotic.
  9. Beat together honey and butter in equal quantities to create delicious honey butter - perfect for spreading on toast or bread!
  10. Chopped up bananas in a bowl drizzled with honey makes a quick and tasty desert.

That’s enough of what I think.  What are YOUR favourite honey recipes?

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6 Responses to “10 Simple ideas for honey…”

  1. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) Says:

    Adding a teaspoon or two of honey to chili (with or without beans) is my new favorite thing to do.

  2. katie Says:

    Definitely number 3! And even if you don’t actually get better you feel better!
    I like it on warm brown bread, fresh from the oven, with a cuppa!

  3. scott Says:

    Lydia (The Perfect Pantry): That sounds like something worth trying…I’m sure it would work in a Chinese style chilli dressing, too…

  4. scott Says:

    katie: I’m sure that the lemon juice can’t really help a sore throat, but this remedy has been around for such a long time…who knows? The whiskey certainly helps :)

    I’m a big fan of simple honey on toast, too. Great stuff!

  5. Sarah Says:

    I love drizzling a little honey with olive oil over vegetables before roasting them, it helps bring out the sweeteness and caramelise, especially onions :) I love it in mint tea too.

    Eating honey local to your area, from now through to the summer, helps to combat hayfever.

  6. scott Says:

    Sarah: I’ve never tried it in mint tea but that sounds really interesting…I’ll definitely give it a go!

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