recipe book
Most of the Fruit, Nuts, Vegetables, Seeds, and Livestock feed in the world is dependant on the existence of bees, who pollinate two thirds of this food production.
We need to provide the best environment for our bees to flourish, we can also enjoy their wonderful honey in many ways, one of which is cooking.
Our recipes use honey bought from local producers, who provide premium quality honey and ensure optimum bee health.

Ingredients for Cookies:
- ¾ cup (250 g) clover honey
- ¾ cup (170 g) dark muscovado (or organic dark brown sugar)
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cups (384 g) unbleached all-purpose flour fluffed, spooned, and leveled, plus more for dusting
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- oil for the bowl
Ingredients for Glaze:
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioner’s sugar sifted
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
German Lebkuchen Cookies
Method
- Prepare the Cookies: In a 1½ quart saucepan, combine the honey and muscovado sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir gently until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture just begins to come to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool until warm to touch. Whisk in the egg and lemon zest and juice.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- On low speed, stir in the wet ingredients until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Laura’s Note: This will be slack and loose, don’t worry! Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled ceramic bowl and cover with a plate – you want the dough to be able to breathe.
- Allow the dough to “ripen” at cool room temperature for 1 to 2 days – do not refrigerate. (The large amount of honey and sugar will keep bacteria at bay.)
- Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Turn out the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to a ¼-inch/6 mm thickness. Use a bench scraper or thin spatula to get under the dough and scoot it around in the flour occasionaly to prevent sticking. Cut shapes with 2-inch/5 cm cutters and place 1 inch/2½ cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sweep away any excess flour with a pastry brush.
- Bake until fragrant and lightly browned, about 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time. (Watch closely, as honey in the dough can make the edges catch and burn quickly.)
- Prepare the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, egg white, lemon juice, and salt for a smooth, thin, runny glaze. (Add a few drops of lemon juice, as needed, to achieve this consistency).
- Let the cookies firm up and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Run an offset spatula under the cookies to gently looesn them from the parchment paper, leaving them on the sheets.
- While still warm, brush the cookies with glaze and transfer to wire racks. Allow the cookies to cool and the glaze to dry completely.
- The secret to a perfect lebkuchen texture is in the resting phase: place the cookies into airtight containers in layers, seperated by parchment or wax paper. Tuck a wedge of apple in the container before sealing. Store in a cool place for at least 3 days, or up to 2 weeks, to allow the cookies to ripen once more before serving.
Recipe image and credit from: abeautifulplate.com

Ingredients for the melomakaron:
- 150g fine semolina (5.3 ounces, half a cup)
- 500g flour (soft) (17.6 ounces, 4 cups)
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 100g orange juice (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
- 3 tbsps cognac
- 100g sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
- 1 flat tbsp powdered cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp nutmeg (powder)
- 1/3 tsp clove (powder)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tbsp baking soda
- 90g water (3.2 ounces, 1/3 cups)
- 125g olive oil (4.4 ounces, 1/2 cups)
- 125g vegetable/sunflower oil (4.4 ounces, 1/2 cups)
- 50g honey (1.8 ounces, 3 tbsp)
- zest of 2 oranges
Ingredients for the syrup:
- 300g water (10 ounces, 1 1/4 cups)
- 600g sugar (20 ounces, 2 3/4 cups)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 orange, cut in half
- 200g honey (7 ounces, 10 tbsp)
To garnish
- 200g chopped walnuts (7 ounces, 1 2/3 cups)
- powdered cinnamon (optional)
- powdered clove (optional)
MELOMAKARONA (GREEK CHRISTMAS HONEY COOKIES)
Method:
- To prepare this melomakarona recipe start by making the syrup first. In a pot add all the ingredients for the syrup, besides the honey and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and remove from the stove. Stir in the honey and set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare the dough for the melomakarona. In a bowl add the semolina, flourand baking powder and mix with a whisk to combine.
- In another large bowl add the orange juice, the cognac, the sugar and spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, vanilla) and mix. Add the baking soda and whisk immediately for 5-10 seconds until the ingredients combine and the baking soda dissolves and starts to foam. Pour in the bowl the water, the oil, the orange zest and honey and whisk to combine.
- Now it’s time to combine the two mixtures. Add the mixed flour, semolina and baking powder (from step 2) in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients from step 3 and start kneading the dough for the melomakarona. Knead the dough for the melomakarona using your hands, until the ingredients combine and the dough is smooth and soft and slightly sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough as they will become tough.
- Preheat the oven at 180C / 356F. Layer the bottom of 4 large baking trays with parchment paper and start shaping the melomakarona. Pinch a portion of dough about the size of a walnut – 30g / 1oz and shape with your palms into a smooth oblong shape, like a small egg. Place on the baking tray, push lightly the top with a fork and pierce three times on top about half way through the dough. Continue with the rest of the dough.
- Depending on how large on oven you have when your first two trays are ready you can start baking them. Place the baking trays with the melomakarona in the oven and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes, until the melomakarona are lightly and evenly browned and cooked through. If you’ve made them bigger, you’ll need to bump up the cooking time!!
- When the melomakarona come out of the oven, dip them immediately in the cold syrup, flipping them with a slotted spoon to absorb the syrup for approx. 10-20 seconds, depending on how syrupy you like them. Remove the cookies using a slotted spoon, place on a platter and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
- While you are dipping your first couple of tray in the syrup add the next two in the oven to bake. Don’t forget to set your timer!!
- Store the melomakarona at room temperature in an airtight container. They will keep for all your Christmas Holidays!
Original post credit mygreekdish.com

Guy Grossi's honey-glazed ham
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 300 gm chestnut-flower honey (see note)
- 1 tbsp cloves
- 1 star anise
- 1 leg ham, bone in (about 8kg), skin removed, fat scored
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Combine mustard, honey, cloves and star anise in a small bowl, stir to combine.
Place ham in a large roasting pan and pour over glaze.
Roast, basting occasionally, until golden and warmed through (1-1¼ hours), thinly slice, serve.
Original post credit gourmettraveller.com.au

Honey Cake
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
¾ cup oil
¾ cup honey
½ teaspoon bi-carb soda
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup S.R. flour
1 cup plain flour
1 cup boiling water
Method
Preheat oven to 180C, or 160C for fan forced
Line the bottom of 20cm (8 inch tin) and grease the sides
Mix eggs with sugar. Then add oil, honey, soda, cocoa and flours. Stir in the ground cloves, (optional) mixed spice and cinnamon.
Lastly add boiling water and mix well.
Bake for 1–1 ¼ hours (Check after 40 mins as it can burn around the edges quite easily, so you might then need to turn the oven down to 160C or 140C fan for the rest of the bake.
To serve you can dredge top of cake with with icing sugar or brush with over honey and sprinkle with slivered almonds
This cake lasts well for a week and also freezes and defrosts well. You can’t tell it has been frozen.