Honey Tasting Party- Tips on Hosting, Organizing etc.

Passionate about honey? So are we! Something we’ve been hearing more and more about recently are honey tasting parties! Honey tasting parties are all the rage right now, and if you haven’t been invited to one yet, you soon will be. The idea is to bring together a group of friends and have them taste different types of honey from different regions. But it’s not just a load of spoons in honey jars, to make a great honey tasting party you need to throw in some fun honey related treats too! If you have ever thought of hosting a honey tasting party and need help, read on 🙂

Why Have a Honey Tasting Party?

Honey is one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen, and is a great addition to any foodie’s pantry. A honey tasting party is a great way to explore the versatility of honey, and to gain a better understanding of all the different types of honey. As well as have fun with those close to you!

What Honey Should I Buy for a Honey Tasting Party?

I am sure that you have all heard of wine tasting parties, right? Well, think of a honey tasting party in the same way. The idea is to get a good selection of honey that crosses different styles and types, to make the whole experience as fun as possible. No one wants to sit around tasting bog standard supermarket honey either! You need to find something special 🙂

My first tip would be to find out if there are any local honey producers in your area, as local honey would probably interest your party goers the most, as they would have something to relate to. When you find these local ‘honey pots’ they will usually have a selection of honey for you to choose from. They will happily give you advice on any more unique tasting honey they have at that time, so be sure to ask.

Failing that, another great tip for sourcing honey is to look online. There are many great online retailers that have a wide selection of honey, and pretty much every one of them will have all kinds of exotic and exciting honey that would be perfect for your party. I love how the internet age will give us so much easy access to gourmet and artisanal honey!

If you need some inspiration for fun and interesting types of gourmet honey to choose, here are some suggestions:

1. Manuka Honey: This honey is a staple of New Zealand and Australia, and has been praised for anti-bacterial properties (making it great for treating wounds!). It used to be hard to find in America, but these days even Amazon stocks some pretty nice versions 🙂
2. Orange Blossom Honey: This honey is light, delicate, and has a subtle orange blossom aroma. It has a slightly bitter flavour which is balanced by the sweetness. It’s ideal for people who prefer more of a mild flavour, but still want to try something interesting.
3. Wildflower Honey: This honey is a little bit more challenging to find, but you can sometimes pick up a jar of it from a beekeeper in your area. It’s light, delicate, with a slightly flowery flavour which is ideal for people who like milder flavoured honey.
4. Clover Honey: This honey is known for having a light, delicate flavour and aroma. It is often used in baking, as it has an almost caramel like flavour that goes perfectly in cakes and pastries. You’ll find this honey most often in Europe and America.

Don’t Forget the Treats

As well as having an array of honey at your tasting party, you should also have some fun honey related treats to share. These could be honey infused biscuits, honey tarts or even honey pots (dipped in chocolate perhaps?!).

I have listed some of my favorite treats below if you would like to get some inspiration for your party:

1. Cacao Honey Pots: This is a great idea for a low carb dessert. You simply place a honey pot on the plate and drizzle it with the desired amount of chocolate sauce (tasty raspberries might work too!) so that it lightly covers the honey pot. Then place it in the fridge to set for a few minutes. Finally, add some raspberries or a couple of dashes of vodka and drizzle over the honey pot (this is optional, but looks pretty cool!).
2. Honey Candied Ginger: This is a great recipe if you want to make something a little different that everybody will enjoy. All you need is some fresh ginger and honey! Delicious Obsessions have an excellent recipe you could follow 🙂
3. Honey and Raspberry Tartlets: These are really easy to make (you just need a little pastry and honey), and they would go down well with the ‘sweet’ theme of your tasting party! These are inspired by the delicious dessert in the book Love That Tart, and would be a perfect accompaniment to the honey.
4. Honey and Lemon Infused Granola: This is a great idea for an afternoon tea where you can have some ‘down home’ hospitality. All you need to make these granola bites is some honey, lemon zest and cinnamon (you could add other flavours also if you wish, such as orange or vanilla).

As well as honey related dishes, you could also serve food that compliments honey, such as cheese or ham. I have some suggestions below:

• Cheese Board: Offer a variety of cheeses, such as mozzarella, feta, Camembert, goat’s cheese and blue cheese. Mozzarella is best served fresh with some honey on top to complement the flavour. Some honeycomb might also go down well with the cheese board!
• Honey Ham: Serve this simple dish to compliment the honey (you could even marinade the ham in honey before cooking it). All you need to do is cut some ham into thick slices, pour some honey over it and it’s ready to serve! It’s really easy, and will work with any type of ham.

Honey Tasting Party Gameplan:

1. Buy what you can get locally, as it will contribute to the authenticity of the event.
2. Try and buy online from a local source that you trust, or check if your local store might stock some of the honey available.
3. Have fun! You could even make up your own tasting notes for each honey (it’s not just about taste!).

That’s All folks!!

All there is left to say is have THE BEST HONEY TASTING PARTY EVER!!