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jarof honey with honey spoon

15 Ways to Use Honey ~ not leftover honey!

The reason I know so many ways to use honey is that we always have so much of it. Many years ago my real man and I both had bad colds so I made us a honey and lemon drink and it was so delicious we have had it as our morning tipple ever since.   I don’t imagine it is doing us any particular good other than it makes us happy as I think the hot water destroys any health benefits. 

Anyhoo, for this reason we get through maybe 3 small jars a week – and as there is always a lot of it about so I use it.

This is not about “leftover honey” because that just doesn’t happen; apparently real honey keeps forever. If this is the case anyone that puts a best before date on it is just having a laugh. I would recommend keeping honey in the cool and dark!  (Too cool and it may crystallise in which case see here for how to to de-crystallise honey and also a delicious thing to do with it.) 

This post concerns honey you don’t quite know what to do with or if you have too much – see the bottom of this post for a picture of when I had too much honey behind the wardrobe!

15 things to do with Not Leftover Honey

ways to use honey

1.     Use instead of sugar for casual sweetening!  What I mean is don’t replace sugar with honey in baking or other precise recipes as they are different consistency, sweetness etc., honey being somewhat sweeter.
2.    To use every bit of honey rinse out the jar with hot water, add a squeeze of lemon and enjoy the hot drink mentioned above.
3.    Drizzle over Greek yogurt, add almonds or walnuts, sugared walnuts (recipe here) are delicious in this
4.     Stir a little honey into freshly cooked carrots together with a knob of butter and shake to glaze.
5.     Honey plus a little whole grain mustard stirred into mayonnaise makes a great accompaniment to salads or spread in a ham sandwich.
6.     Toss a little in with butternut squash and red onion when roasting.  Not too much mind or the whole thing with caramelise before it is cooked.

7.    If you have just a spoonful of honey left in the jar add 6 spoonfuls of olive oil, 3 of lemon juice, salt and pepper and shake to form a great salad dressing.
8.    Brush a little warm honey gently over freshly baked cake, bread pudding and the like to glaze.
9.   Honeyed Blue Cheese on Toast – trust me, this is delicious.
10.   Stir a little into fruit salads.
11.  A spoonful over porridge might help it go down! I don’t really like porridge yet I instinctively feel that it should be served with light brown sugar, clotted cream and Drambuie, although I’ve never tried it! More porridge ideas here.
12.   Stir together with a knob of butter till melted and hot and serve with pancakes.
13.   If you don’t want to eat the honey use it as a face mask – smooth onto warm skin, leave 15-20 minutes, wash off with warm water and then splash your face with cold water to close pores.  
14    Drizzle over ice cream – vanilla ice cream sprinkled with salted peanuts with a trail of honey snaking over it is deliciously different.

drizzling honey onto ice cream

15.   If you find yourself in possession of quite a lot of honey, and if summer ever arrives, then make this simple ice cream.

No Churn Honey Ice Cream

500 ml double cream
200 g condensed milk
200 g runny honey at room temperature

~   Whip the cream till thick.
~   Fold in the condensed milk.
~   Fold in the honey.
~   Freeze. 

Once you have been gobsmacked by how easy and how delicious this ice cream is immediately check out my book “Luscious Ice Creams without a Machine” which gives over 100 similarly easy and yummy ice cream recipes plus others for sauces, syrups, inclusions and serving suggestions. 

Honey is also believed to have aphrodisiac qualities, by the way!

If I can think of all these ideas for not leftover honey don’t you wonder what ideas I have had for the 450 potential leftovers in my book Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers?

the ultimate leftovers cookbook

Too Much Honey Behind the Wardrobe!

Speaking of honey look what I found behind built in wardrobes in Tortola once, after a couple of months away. I knew something was up as soon as I unlocked the door; the place was buzzing! 

honeycomb

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Having been a somewhat itinerant chef for over 30 years I was amazed, on my return to the UK, at the blatant food waste that now seems to be rife in the country; amazed and irritated. So much so that I decided to start a blog about spontaneous cooking from leftovers to show people that there are great alternatives to throwing food away.

7 Comments

  • Alex Hewitt-Jones

    Hi Suzy. Stunned to stumble across your website while trying to work out how to use an enormous amount of honey. It was your mention of Tortola that grabbed my attention. Glad to hear that you’re doing so well, and congratulations on all of your books. I have great memories of your food at the RBVIYC. Take care of yourself, and thank you for the ideas. Alex

  • Jenny Eatwell

    You're talking my language where honey is concerned, that's for sure. I've used it for cuts, grazes, scrapes, splinters – all sorts – for years, on both family and the dogs.

    Your honey behind the wardrobe is completely amazing! I bet you were flabbergasted – I know I would have been! 🙂

  • MyFudo™

    Wow! I never knew I know so little about honey. I find it really versatile and a trustworthy kitchen ally, all the more after reading this. This ice cream treat is superb!

  • Mike

    If I ever cut myself, instead of using iodine or hydrogen peroxide, I reach for the honey and dab a little on the wound.

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