Honey adds a unique flavour note and delicate floral sweetness to everything from appetisers, to sauces and salad dressings. We use our Honey Dew a lot in cooking as it has a strong unique flavour that enhances dishes.

The best place to store honey is a cool, dry cupboard or pantry shelf. Never, ever keep honey in the refrigerator--it will only speed up the crystallisation of the honey- this happens when sugar is exposed to oxygen. Heat it gently and it will turn back into the golden liquid it once was, I do this by standing it in warm water.

Quick and easy ways to incorporate honey into cooking

1. Give a little body to your curry

Cooking an Indian-style curry dish but don’t want to use too much ghee?
You can still give your dish a hint of sweetness and body! Drizzle some honey into your nearly-finished dish. You should find that the bold, yet subtle ingredient helps bring out many spices beautifully.

2. Create a honey-based dressing

Ready to take your salad game to new heights? Whipping up a dressing doesn’t have to be difficult. Just whisk together honey with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Using honey as the base for your salad dressing means that the dish will have a savoury-meets-sweet taste that people will adore!

3. Make a glaze for your roast

A delicious glaze is one of the main uses of honey in the kitchen, but why not experiment with it? Combining honey and lime makes a super fresh glaze, whereas pairing it with soy sauce gives it an Asian twist.

Stir-fried Pork with Ginger & Honey

This healthy noodle dish is deliciously low-fat with a great mix of Asian flavours- the perfect midweek supper

• 2 nests medium egg noodles (noddles of your choice)
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Honey Dew honey
• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• 250g/9oz pork tenderloin, cut into bite-sized pieces
• a thumb-sized piece ginger, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 100g finely chopped broccoli or carrot (add more veg if you want too!)
• 1 tsp sesame seed

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the noodles following pack instructions. Meanwhile, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water, then stir in the soy sauce and honey, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the pork and cook for 2 mins until browned all over. Add the ginger, garlic, pepper and vegetables, and cook for a further 2 mins. Reduce the heat, then add the soy and honey mixture, stirring and cooking until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Divide the drained noodles between 2 bowls. Top with the pork and vegetables, and finish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Crispy honey buffalo wings with blue cheese & celery slaw

Crispy Southern fried chicken is often served with blue cheese dressing and celery - the coleslaw turns this party favourite into a  supper

• 1l sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying
• 1kg chicken wing
• 85g plain flour
• 2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 50g butter
• 5 tbsp hot sauce (we used Encona Original Hot Pepper Sauce)
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp Honey Dew honey

For the slaw

• ½ small white cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 3 celery sticks, cut into matchsticks
• ½ red onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp celery seeds
• 150g pack soft blue cheese, Gorgonzola works well
• 100ml soured cream
• 100g mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar

First, make the coleslaw. Combine the cabbage, carrots, celery and red onion in a bowl. Place the celery seeds, blue cheese, soured cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and some seasoning in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and toss everything well to coat. Chill until ready to serve.

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and put the oven on low heat. Toss the chicken in the flour, celery salt, paprika and some seasoning. Test the oil temperature with a piece of bread – it’s ready when the bread turns golden after 30 secs. Add the chicken pieces to the oil, cooking in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook for 8 mins until golden, crisp and cooked through.

Drain on kitchen paper, then transfer to a baking tray and put in a low oven to keep warm, until they are all cooked. Melt the butter, hot sauce, vinegar and honey together in a small pan until thick and sticky. When all the chicken pieces are cooked, toss in the sauce. Serve straight away with the coleslaw – and plenty of napkins!

Honey Glazed Carrots

• 3 cups sliced carrots or 16 oz. baby carrots
• 6 Tbsp. Honey Dew honey
• 2 Tbsp.butter 
• 2 Tbsp.chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ½ tsp.Dijon mustard (optional)

Bring 2 inches of salted water to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add carrots and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 8 to 12 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Drain carrots; return to saucepan. Stir in honey, butter, parsley, and mustard. Cook and stir over low heat until carrots are glazed.

Honey BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp.Vegetable oil
• 1 can Tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Honey Dew honey
• 2 Tbsp.Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp.chopped parsley
• 1 Tbsp.Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp.Black Pepper
• pinch Cayenne Pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add remaining ingredients and bring mixture to boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.