Supercharged meals with Manuka honey
LOVE the darker, earthier and creamier, slightly woody taste of genuine Manuka honey from New Zealand? Whether it’s supercharging your breakfast, stirred into a hot drink or simply slurped off the spoon daily, this thicker honey that’s a little less sweet than types usually found in the supermarket is perfect to use with your cereals, smoothies, toppings, dressings and more.
Some dollop it on toast every morning, while others swirl it into their porridge or drizzle it on fluffy pancakes, perhaps served with strawberries and chopped nuts. This delicious honey is only made by bees who collect nectar from the Manuka bush, a wild shrub that grows widely across New Zealand but flowers for only a few weeks a year. Real Manuka honey has laboratory validated properties other types of honey do not display, thanks to a naturally occurring compound called Methylglyoxal (MGO). Here are just a few of the many ways to put Manuka honey to good use for healthy eating this summer:
■ ADD Manuka into a glaze or marinade to give your chicken dishes a different honey flavour. Veggies? Drizzle them in a little Manuka, mustard and oil, then roast for an hour on a low heat.
■ AT breakfast, blend it into a chia, raspberry and blueberry smoothie, add it to porridge or swirl it into plain yoghurt with a handful of fruit and sprinkling of chopped pecans. Or Manuka honey on sourdough toast, with cottage cheese, apple and walnuts, is a delicious morning treat.
■ MIX Manuka honey into flapjacks or an oat and nut crumble to top a fruit stew — or drizzle it on fruit to top a cake. Adding it to your favourite recipes gives a deliciously subtle sweetness — different from using pure sugar, and certainly healthier.