Honey Tasting

As ever we arealways on the look out for better local suppliers to firstly allow us to showcase local produce and secondly to help improve the fresh local tastes that Robbert strives to use in the kitchen. last Autumn we received an unsolicited email offering us local honey and duly I returned the form expressing interest. i then passed comment to Robert and we awaited further contact.

Nothing happened until last week when a parcel arrived with two pots of honey marked Sample A and Sample B. recognizing these as the long awaited tasting pots we arranged a time and today we had a chance to compare and contrast them with our current supply. They both had extremely different consistency and very different tastes which in truth i could not really understand, however had I read the instructions earlier then all would have become clear as Pot A was an early pollen of hawthorn, in truth i could not identify this and the second was a mixture but predominantly bramble pollen- well here I was a wee bit better and that was one of my many guesses.

Up until now we have always used heather hills honey, from as long as I can remember we arranged to book our needs back in December, contacted the farm in Perth-shire and had it delivered in the Spring before we opened, then hoped we had judged it right and did not run out. This never used to happen, unless as my father joked my Uncle George visited without warning, as he would not be unknown ton finish a pot of Honey ion one breakfast so if warned my father always kept a cheap alternative in the cupboard so as "not to waste the Good stuff" on his brother!!

Recently however we have not been so good at forecasting demand one year out and have had to reorder and keep our fingers crossed hoping that they have supply. So far so good but maybe the Bramble Honey will offer an alternative! We shall have to wait and see as the jury will reconvene tomorrow with some more toast and honey!!  Pooh would be proud of us.