Delicious UK - (04)April 2020

(Comicgek) #1

T


hehoneybeeisintrouble.Along
withotherpollinators,itshabitats
arebeinglosttoagriculture,
urbanisationanddeforestation.There
areotherthreats,too:pollutantsand
pesticides,climatechange,diseasesand
invasivespecies.It’snota prettypicture.
Astudypublishedlastyearsurveyed
beekeepersin 36 countries,includingthe
UK,andfoundthatofoverhalfa million
honeybeecolonies, 16 percentwerelost
duringthewinterof2017-2018.Northern
IrelandandEnglandreportedlosses
above 25 percent.IntheUSA, 50 billion
honeybeesdiedlastwinter– that’sa

shockingonethirdofallcommercialbees.
Weshouldbeworried.AsSimonPotts,
professorofBiodiversityandEcosystem
ScienceatReadingUniversity,says,
“Pollinatorssuchashoneybeesare
essentialforourfoodproductionand
foodsecurity.Aboutthreequartersofall
ourfoodcropsbenefitfrompollination.”
It’stimetocreatea buzzabouthoney
anditscreators,sowe’veputtogether
threefabulousrecipesthatmakehoney
thehero.Wealsogotonthebuzzertoan
urbanbeekeeperandgatheredthefacts
youneedtoknowtobea clued-upshopper,
cannycookandall-roundbeelover.

STICKYISSUES:THEHONEYFACTS


WHYISSOMEHONEYRUNNYAND
SOMESET?It’sdowntothebalanceof
fructoseandglucose,thesugarsthat
makeup 70 percentofhoney.High-
fructosewildflowerhoneyisclearand
liquid,whileglucose-richhoneyfrom
oilseedrape,forexample,hasa harder
set.Commercialrunnyhoneyis
refinedtomakeit fluid.
WHYDOESITCRYSTALLISE?Glucose
ispronetocrystallising,creating

grainy,cloudyhoney.Crystallised
honeyisfinetoeat,butyoucan
partiallysubmergethejarinhot
watertoreversetheprocess.
WHYISMANUK AHONEYSPECIAL?
It’smadebybeesforagingonNew
Zealand’smanukabush.Unlikeother
honeysit containsmethylglyoxal,
whichhasantimicrobialproperties (if
usedexternally– there’snoevidence
thateatingthehoneyhasbenefits). →

RECIPESSAMANTHACOUTTS&SOPHIEAUSTEN-SMITH
PHOTOGRAPHSCHRISCOURT&NASSIMAROTHAKER
FOODST YLINGKIRSTENJENKINS&SOPHIEAUSTEN-SMITHSTYLINGSARAH BIRKS

60 deliciousmagazine.co.uk


L iquid gold

One of nature’s great creations, honey has been prized for thousands of years.
But with bee populations under threat, it’s time to celebrate the world’s oldest
sweetener and find out how to help protect its busy, buzzing creators
Free download pdf