A taste of honey
It was a fascinating evening, where we learned a prodigious amount about the production of honey. Two passionate beekeepers Claire Chavasse from Cappagh and Michael Woulfe from Midleton shared their experience with us. They are both avid fans of what Claire describes as the weightlifter supreme the honey bee. Did you know that the bee weighs about 90mg but can carry nectar up to almost 90% of its body weight.
Michael Woulfe has been a beekeeper since he came to Midleton in 1960. He explained how the season commences in April and continues through May, June and July. By the end, the beekeeper hopes to have a reward for all of the labour.
Honey production is greatly affected by weather and it also varies enormously in flavour and texture. Bell heather is very dark, almost port wine in colour, then there's sycamore honey, whitethorn flower, apple blossom, white clover and blackberry.
Ling heather honey is so thick and unctuous and so dense that it has to be pressed out of the comb. Michael records the yield of his hives on a daily basis the record so far is 24lb of honey in one day in July.
Like so many beekeepers, Michael is anxious to pass on his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to younger beekeepers. In Ireland we have 1,500 beekeepers; Slovenia, according to Michael, has 10 million. And beekeepers don't need to be based in the country London beekeepers record some of the highest yields.
The new season's honey is extracted in August. Honey with the best flavour and aroma comes from the combs. Beekeepers often keep some unfiltered honey for their own use but honey for sale is filtered through organza so that it is totally clear.
Beekeepers, and indeed many doctors, believe honey has many medicinal qualities; they believe it can help in the relief of to cure burns, ulcers, varicose veins, etc. Many athletes are also very partial to honey, providing as it does instant energy, already digested , while sinus sufferers benefit from chewing beeswax.
We are fortunate in this country to be able to produce fantastic honey and, fortunately, there are very few big fields of oil seed rape which taints the honey. We do, however, have the dreaded bee disease caused by the varroa destructor mite. This was originally introduced to Ireland by a UK beekeeper who moved to the west of Ireland complete with his colony of bees. This doesn't affect the honey but wipes out the colony which would consist of 6070,000 bees.
Michael highlighted the fact that in Ireland we have no standards for importation of honey and stressed that the best honey goes to the countries with the highest standards. So when you are buying honey, keep a look out for Irish honey with the Irish Beekeepers Association seal.
We rounded off the evening with a tasting of local honey ling heather, bell heather, sycamore, Michael's blackberry and white clover, and our own apple and flower blossom honey. We have just four hives at the end of the orchard. Granulated honey is more popular in the UK but in Ireland we prefer the more liquid variety.
Febvre, who sponsor Slow Food Ireland, sent us some Muscat Sec and Sauternes to taste with the honey, a sublime experience.
From the cook's point of view, honey can be used in many delicious and creative ways. Add it to dressings, drizzle it over salads, use it mixed with mustard to coat chicken breasts, spare ribs, chicken wings or even the humble sausage. It can be added to cake, biscuits or icings, and pairs deliciously with blue cheese.
Serves 1
About a tablespoon of toasted sweet tasting hazelnuts
Best quality natural yoghurt
Apple blossom honey or strongly flavoured local Irish honey 2 tablespoons approx
: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/regulo 6. Put the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes until the skins loosen.
Remove from the oven and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, rub off the thin papery skins (I usually put them into a tea towel, gather up the edges like a pouch, rub the towel against the nuts for a minute or so and 'hey presto' virtually all the skins come off in one go.)
If the nuts are still very pale, put them back into the oven for a few more minutes until pale golden and crisp. Slice thickly.
Just before serving spoon a generous portion of chilled natural yoghurt onto a cold plate, drizzle generously with really good honey and sprinkle with freshly sliced toasted hazelnuts. Eat immediately.
