Pantry to Plate with Condiment Claire
If you're wondering if my first name
is Condiment, I'm sorry to burst your bubble...
... but it's actually Claire. During the pandemic, I discovered that my love of condiments was perhaps a little more intense than most. I started making videos exploring the histories behind jars, the cultures they belonged to, and the unexpected ways I'd eat and pair their contents. Ever tried Branston on avocado toast? Trust me on this one.
After a few years dedicating myself to social media, I began to write a weekly newsletter, CondimentClaire on Substack, and eventually published a book, The Condiment Book, dedicated to my favourite unsung kitchen heroes - you guessed it, condiments. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Fortnum & Mason celebrating my book launch at their flagship Piccadilly store, hosting flavourful supper clubs, visiting some of their condiment producers firsthand, filming a YouTube series Hamper to Plate, and now writing about my favourite seasonal finds… which brings me back to honey.
Spring has officially sprung which means flowers are blooming and bees are buzzing. With gardens across London coming back to life and the Chelsea Flower Show just around the corner, I wanted to celebrate the city’s incredible bee communities - one of which lives on the Fortnum & Mason rooftop!
Writing about Fortnum & Mason's honey genuinely feels less like a recommendation and more like a privilege. Since 2008, their iconic Eau de Nil hives have graced the rooftop of their Piccadilly store as a genuine labour of love. Under the watchful eye of Master Beekeeper Steven Benbow, colonies of native Welsh Black Bees roam the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Green Park and beyond, returning each season with a honey that is as legitimate portrait of London.
Now some people may see honey as a boring sweetener used primarily in chamomile tea, but I am here to tell you that this unctuous syrup can be used for so much more. It’s versatile, comes in many shapes, textures, and depending on the flower the bee collected the nectar from, can give off distinct and exciting flavour. Fortnum’s honey, in particular, carries happy notes of chestnut, lime and garden flowers.
Here are my top Fortnum's honey-related recommendations and unexpected ways to use them!
British Honeycomb Frame | a perfect brunch gift
Now that the sun is shining, it’s time to head outdoors for brunches and picnics! A great hostess gift is a honeycomb frame. Eating from it is a fun activity and it honestly just looks lovely on a table - or on a picky bits lunch board which I’ve been loving this spring! Whether you serve it with some cheese, fresh crudités, breakfast buns, yogurt parfaits, biscuits, charcuterie boards, toasted nuts or afternoon tea its beauty will be sure to match its taste.
Chef's Vanilla Honey | a sweet surprise
There’s vanilla and then there’s good vanilla. A beautiful vanilla bean should taste sweet, earthy, and warming which highlights honey’s natural faint flavor and boosts it further. Although this vanilla honey is delicious drizzled into morning matcha, coffee, tea, onto loaves and cookies, and in simple salad dressings, my absolute favorite way to use it is by swirling it into butter… and not just any butter but anchovy butter!
Anchovies and vanilla are a shockingly delicious duo and a great way to seamlessly pair their two distinct flavours is by adding a bit of sweetness from the honey as well as creaminess from butter. Just add some of this vanilla honey into some butter with a squeeze of anchovy paste or a finely chopped anchovy and you’ll be good to go! Slather that goodness onto some butter or tea sandwiches and your friends and family will delight!
I also love this vanilla honey with truffle cheese because both flavors celebrate each other, neither dominates the other. The vanilla gives off the same earthiness that the truffle does, but the sweetness of the honey calms the sharp saltiness of the cheese. A perfect duo!
Tea & Honey Aromatic Cocktail Bitters | a sweet way to hydrate
Whether you add these bitters to cocktails, mocktails, or any and all condiments, they are a subtle yet delicious surprise that add an extra note you didn’t know you needed. I personally love pairing these with an unsweetened iced tea for a soft and sweet aftertaste or into a lemonade to tame the acidity. Of course, you can add these to an alcoholic beverage like a gin & tonic or a glass of champagne but what about a condiment? Try a few drops of these in a chicken marinade, vinaigrette, or a simple tomato ketchup and watch your tastebuds delight!
A more unexpected use of the bitters is in a salad dressing! I’ve found it delicious in a simple Caesar salad for a surprising addition or paired with beetroot to take down the sweetness of the root vegetable with some deep tannin notes.
Bee Honey Drizzler
Last but not least, in the same way a condiment is a fun accessory to a dish, every condiment also needs a fun accessory. That is where this comes in! It’s whimsical, practical, and makes every table it appears on come to life.
Although I’m always sad when I get to the bottom of a condiment jar, I actually love finishing a jar of honey because it means I can use the honeyed jar as a vessel for morning coffee, afternoon breakfast tea, to prep overnight oats or chia seeds, to make a quick salad dressing, or even a personal cocktail!
Take One Champagne Cream Tea Selection & Pair It With... Honey
Fortnum’s Champagne Cream Tea Selection is a joy by itself, but as someone always in pursuit of interesting and unexpected pairings, I’ve taken four items from this one delicious cool bag and paired it with the honeys mentioned above.
- Fortnum’s Brut Reserve Champagne: add the bitters
- Afternoon Blend Tea: make it iced, add the bitters or have it hot with a drizzle of vanilla honey and a dash of milk
- Clotted Cream Digestive Biscuits: top these with honeycomb and some cheese
- Scones: top with clotted cream, vanilla honey, and a big pinch of salt
Until the next one….
Claire x
Inspiration
Discover The Journal, home to a host of our most delicious stories.
Harvesting Fortnum's Rooftop Honey
Thing You Never Knew About Honey