Scottish Heather Honey

Description

Scottish Heather Honey

Specific characteristic: very high thixotropy – meaning it turns into gel, when at rest.

Heather honey has an unusual texture, due to its thixotropic characteristic, being a jelly until stirred, when it becomes a syrup like other honey, and turning again to a jelly.

Both heather (Calluna vulgaris) and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honeys are described as thixotropic. This means that they are gel-like (extremely viscous) when standing still, but they can turn liquid when agitated or stirred.
The viscosity of heather honey is so high that makes the extraction of the honey from the comb very difficult. That’s why, this honey is extracted by pressure (instead of centrifugation), which destroys the combs.

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What to do with it?

Heather Honey is very strong in flavour hence should bee used with caution. It goes very well with oranges in marloade or in cakes.
Here is a quick recipe for heather honey cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Butter a 20cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Cream the butter(85g) and sugar (85g) until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs (2), followed by the honey (115g).
3. Gradually add the eggs, followed by the honey.  Sift over the flour (225) and baking powder (1tsp)and fold in gently to combine.
4. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold in gently to combine. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and shrinking slightly from the sides of the tin.  Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
6. When cold, slice and serve spread with unsalted butter.

All the best and enjoy.