Tuesday, August 12, 2008

HONEY STILL FOR TEA


Long ago, when I was young and even more foolish than I am now, a man left me feeling very sad: I cried, I grieved, I lost 3 stone in 6 weeks and thought of nothing but my own misfortune. Then, one day, a friend literally dragged me along to her house and fed me honey sandwiches. Ever since, I have regarded honey as a primary comfort food.

The honeys of Sicily are many and varied and a delight for the taste buds they all are. But I think my favourite has to be this pale one made from the sulla plant [a kind of red-flowered honeysuckle] which was known to the ancients. It smells heavenly and very good on a fetta biscottata at teatime it is.

17 comments:

DeeJay said...

I half caught a comment on the radio this morning as I drove in to work that honey is going to be in short supply in the UK this year as there has been a sharp decline in the honey bee population. I missed the reason for that.

Ellee Seymour said...

f it tastes as good as it smells, it's bound to be scrummy.

Dragonstar said...

Honeysuckle honey? Oooo! Honey's a favourite in this house. Love your plate, too.

Saretta said...

Mmmm, honey! Yummy, yummy! Just wanted to let you know that I have links to your site on both of my blogs...http://molfetta-daily-photo.blogspot.com and http://amid-the-olive-trees.blogspot.com

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Oh thats a sad story, pleased you had a good friend to help you. :-)

I have honey in my tea sometimes but never had honey on bread or toast until I went to stay with Sally at Geoffs...I like the honey he buys, not sure what it is though>

Whispering Walls said...

It would be fun to have a honey tasting. As you say, some are so much more delicate than others and it would be interesting to see if one could identify the flower in a blind tasting. Had some excellent heather honey in Scotland.

flutterby said...

Was going to ask for a definition of "stone" but got smart and checked Wikipedia. Oh my goodness, WL, you really lost a LOT of weight.

sally in norfolk said...

I have only recently became a lover of honey... honeysuckle honey sounds good... my favorite so far has been sunflower honey bought from a french market in cambridge.
The honey Anne had was rape flower Honey :-)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, deejay. That's interesting. I'll try to find out about it. It does, Ellee! Thanks, dragonstar. That plate's been around all my life! Thanks, Saretta. I've added you too, now. Sorry it took me so long but I tend to leave doing stuff like that till "tomorrow"! Hi, Anne. I think it shows how stupid I was, really! That's a good idea, WW. I'm also fond of the zagara honey you can get here. That was very clever of you, flutterby. I forgot that N smerica doesn't measure in stones! Would that it had stayed off.... Hi, Sally. The French honey sounds good, as does the one anne had.

CherryPie said...

I always love the taste of local Honey and they are all so different.

Maria said...

Wow! Ok I have to find that. I love honey, on toast, in tea, on oatmeal, in my chai latte! :) Too many Winnie the Pooh books as a kid!
M

jmb said...

Funny I have never really liked honey. I think it is too sweet for me. I am always amazed at all the different kinds.

Leslie: said...

Ah...honey on toasted crumpets was something my mother would make us sometimes. Sweet memories.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Ciao, cherrypie. Yes, honeys from eah location are different and they fascinate me. Hi, M. Oh, I still love those books, too! Ciao, jmb. Yes, the variety of honeys on offer amazes me, too. Oh, Leslie! Crumpets and honey - I am really on the nostalgia trail now! xx

CherryPie said...

Ooh yes crumpets and honey :-) That is how I eat my honey too!

Unknown said...

I only realized in the last few years what a bonus regional honey production is. I haven't seen imported in honey in Australia (must keep more of an eye out) but my two favorites would be from Patterson's Curse (also known euphamistically as 'Salvation Jane' and Jarrah (the flowers, not the wood).

I know when I one day travel around the world, local honey will be on my list of things to eat :-)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Cherrypie, I am nostalgic again. Mg, I am fascinated to know the derivation of the name "Patterso's Curse". The honeys sound lovely.

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