Eating Honeycomb

Every year from June to December we sell honeycomb straight from our hives. We sell whole frames (almost 2Kg in weight) for a dinner or breakfast table spectacle and also in smaller 200g and 400g “sections” for other happy occasions. We also sell honeycomb within jars of honey at certain times of the year and provide whole frame displays for weddings.

The best honeycomb in our experience is produced by the bees without any assistance from wax foundation or previously drawn-out frames. This approach takes a lot of energy from the bees, typically the energy from 8kg of honey is needed to produce one entire honey-filled frame, so it’s a real luxury to be enjoyed. There are some UK department stores, which sell the equivalent of a whole honeycomb frame for £120. We believe our product is as good if not better due to the low pollution countryside environments our bees enjoy and the rich, abundant forage available in Hertfordshire throughout the seasons. Furthermore we have priced whole frames in 2020 at £60, and still have sections left for xmas indulgence.

So how do you eat it?

Firstly, you can eat the honeycomb chunks entirely as well as all the honey and pollen inside the honeycomb. Some people find the honeycomb a bit chewy, but this also depends on the time of year the honeycomb was produced (due to the seasonal changes in nectar composition) and whether the bees produced the honeycomb by themselves. The honeycomb is the most unadulterated state of raw honey in that it has been removed straight from the hive, freeze treated for 24 hours and packaged to ensure the highest food standards are met (we suggest you do not buy honeycomb if this cold-treatment step is missed or cannot be evidenced).For a few suggestions on how to enjoy honeycomb in sections or cut from your own frame of honey:

1) Cheese board; with soft cheese such as brie, a saltier firm cheese like manchego or pecorino or even a blue cheese such as stilton.

2) Dessert; with fruit such as apples, pears, figs or with ice cream.

3) Breakfast; On pancakes, waffles, yoghurt or dipped in hot chocolate (yes!)

If you have any questions please ask away or send us your suggestions info@smokeandhive.com or pictures from your insta sites.

Bzzzz.

The bees and the keeper.