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 Creating a Buzz!
My somewhat varied journalistic career has been continuing recently with a series of articles in the Devon Beekeepers Association Beekeeping Magazine. I have enjoyed writing them so thought I would occasionally post them here, hopefully for your interest! Honey the drink I think one of the most enduring things about history is the pictures it creates. One of Odin, leader of the Norse Gods, going to collect a horn of mead from his special goat with an udder that only produced mead just has a magic appeal! My maiden name was Mead, so when my school friends found that my Father brewed beer you can imagine the kind of teasing I received. They did not know what they were missing with the fun and games I had when I went to the brewery with my Father at the weekends. After my early days and my Grandfather's wonderful honey, Cheltenham had no such luxuries, until I met the sugar room at the brewery. Now to brew beer you need simple sugars, and to subsidise the malt extract in those days inverted sugar was used. This used to arrive at the brewery in large blocks, and to this day I can see my Father running his pen knife across the cardboard and then there was the sugar. It looked like the top of a set jar of honey and he used to run his knife over the top and make a beautiful curl and then pop it in my mouth. It was the closest taste to the proper thing. Mead of course is made from honey together with spices, yeast and water and there are endless ways of making it. Just like beer. Now to a recipe, a winner with any children and most men! Sticky Honey Chocolate Sauce You need a bowl with some ice cream in it. In a pan put:
A small knob of butter Warm this mixture until runny and just starting to bubble around the edges of the pan, then pour over the ice cream straight away. This forms a soft sticky layer over the ice cream and you can scoop up the rest with glee! Something more comforting for a cold day with the grandchildren is: Drop Scones including honey, so no extra mess! Ingredients:
225g self raising flour Method: 1). Put dry ingredients into a bowl and mix the wet ones together. 2). Make a well in the flour mix and pour in the wet in stages, stir well the whole time. You end up with a batter. 3). Or put the whole lot into a liquidiser (or food processor) and blend.
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