It’s been way too long, my friends… and I apologise sincerely for my all too frequent lapses in blogging these days. All manner of excuses come to mind, mostly legitimate… others somewhat pathetic… in the desperate hope that you’ll forgive me and continue to accompany me on my food blogging journey (as sporadic as it may be).
I’ve been cooking as much as always, but mostly the tried and tested recipes that you’ll already find here in my recipe index. With spring now upon us, bringing a vibrancy of colour and new life, I’m feeling the creative spirit seep back in… which can only be a good thing for Gather and Graze in the months to come.
Speaking of ‘Gather and Graze’… I was recently asked if I’d give up my Instagram name/handle, by a girl up in Brisbane who has started a catering business using the same name. It appears that a couple of months ago she purchased the business name, along with the .com.au website. Despite this all being completely legal and above board, I still find myself feeling rather miffed (to put it politely) and am kicking myself for being so naive to think that owning the .com website (along with the Twitter and Instagram handles) was enough of a deterrent for anyone else to seriously consider using it. Interestingly enough, confusion has already begun to set in, with a lovely lady contacting me to see if I could possibly cater for a funeral. Surely an original name would have been a logical and more sensible choice? Intrigued to know how others would feel, if this happened to you…
Anyway, enough venting for the moment… and on to sweeter matters at hand. The following recipe was something of an experiment, bringing together some beautiful, Ligurian honey (that a dear friend kindly brought back for me from Kangaroo Island, South Australia) along with some roasted macadamia nuts, that made it home from our trip up to the Sunshine Coast in July. The results far exceeded my expectations… the first batch I unfortunately took too far and was way too dark, but both the second (shown in both photos) and third batches were perfect!
Sending apologies to my friend Suzanne, from A Pug in the Kitchen, for posting this sugar-laden treat. I know that she’s trying (with much success) at the moment to avoid certain foods, so I really feel quite guilty hitting the ‘publish’ button right now. For some far healthier options, please use the link above to stop by and visit her wonderful blog.
Macadamia Nut Honeycomb | Gather and Graze
Ingredients
- 115g (1/2 Cup) Caster Sugar (I used Raw)
- 65g (3 Tablespoons) Honey
- 6g (1 Teaspoon) Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda
- 75g (1/2 Cup) Roasted Macadamia Nuts* (chopped)
Instructions
Line a 20x20cm (8x8in) baking tin with parchment/baking paper.
Place sugar and honey in a small, deep saucepan. Over medium heat, allow to bubble away, until the mixture is amber in colour. Stir in the chopped macadamia nuts and then add the bicarb soda, stirring quickly to combine. As soon as the mixture has foamed up, pour into the prepared baking tin. Allow to cool for about 1 hour, before cutting into chunks. Store in an airtight container.
NB. This is an extremely hot mixture and could cause severe burns if not handled carefully, so please be sure to take extra special care while cooking and pouring this into the tin. Certainly NOT a recipe for the children to be making!
Note:
I used roasted salted Macadamia Nuts, which gave a fabulous sweet/salty flavour. If you prefer to use unsalted nuts, perhaps consider adding a pinch of salt to the mixture to provide balance to the flavour. Other types of chopped nuts would work really well too.
Gather & Graze 
Looks great!
Thanks very much! 🙂
How odd i left a long reply but its not here, was wondering why no reply. Maybe my computer rebooted in the middle or i forgot to hit send? No matter, love honeycomb, takes me back to being a brownie wearing a terrible brown uniform, standing in a silver aluminium foil pond reciting a brownie poem, maybe my do- goodiness comes from there? Anyhow i digress, honeycomb, first time i had it was then, and possibly the last time too. Must make some to give away! Vicarious living like Suzanne… Wow the cheek to ask for your blog name. Would make sure not to reference her site anywhere on your blog, really impolite,but frankly nothing surprises me, it’s business isn’t it and from a marketing perspective if your stuff is linked to hers, its not bad, however, on the other hand if people cannot find her website because they find you its also not good…sorry you were so angry but i really understand – it wasnt an honest mistake by any chance? Optimist that i am poli
Hi dear Poli and thanks for your lovely message. Sorry to hear that your first message didn’t come through… very strange indeed. I wonder where it got to? Loved hearing about your Honeycomb Brownie in the pond memory. Must ask my parents why they never signed me up for Brownies/Girl Guides, despite the terrible uniform it sounds like it might have been fun at that age. Worth trying a batch of honeycomb at least once more, with the addition of the chopped macadamias to give it complexity and a flavour other than pure honey/sweetness.
My feelings of frustration have given way to a ‘what will be, will be’ kind of thing. I don’t think I’ve mentioned her URL in full anywhere here, but pretty obvious with it being the same name as my own, but with the Aussie ending to the website name. She hasn’t developed the website at all as of yet, so I guess there’s hope that she’s contemplating a different name to avoid any confusion.
Hope you’re well and enjoying some beautiful autumn weather over there. We’ve been enjoying spring and being able to get out into the garden once again to plant a few things. Inspired by the Lurie Gardens in Chicago of all things (lots of purple flowers)… in a much smaller space of course! 😉
Hiya – lovely to hear from you – the brownies weren’t bad, although the only memory I have is of the honeycomb (all my memories are food centric, is that sad?) I have looked up the story and this is the background, didn’t remember, just remember that looking into the aluminum pond seemed odd.
From the http://www.epilogsys.com/scoutingweb/SubPages/Browniestory.htm
The girls wanted to know where the Brownies had gone and how to get them to come back. Granny said, “only the wise old owl knows!”
That night, when everyone else was asleep, one of the girls ran out of the house into the magic forest. she found the wise old owl. “Please”, said the girl, “where can I find the Brownies to come and live with us? The owl said, “I know where two live – right in your house!” She was very surprised! Tell me how to find them, she begged. He told her to go to the pond in the magic forest, turn around three times and say, “twist me and turn me and show me the elf… I looked in the water and saw…….!” The wise old owl said, “When you finish the rhyme, you will see the Brownie in the magic pond.”
The girl went to the pond in the magic forest and did as she had been told. She went back to the forest and found the wise old owl and said, ” something must be wrong, I did all you told me to do and I only saw myself! And I am not a Brownie!” ” Are you sure?” said the owl. To be a Brownie, you must be ready to help those around you, make friends wherever you can, and every day try to discover something new.
Sounds like you are enjoying Spring, lucky you, we are now in Autumn, which I quite like too, although it is getting chilly but the sun is out and that is lovely. Perfect for walks in fact…. I must go out now :)! Love spring, but also love autumn. I looked at the website too, but there is nothing there..so maybe she is reconsidering. I just made a very nice hazelnut and beetroot cake..slices of autumn!
A sweet story, that I’m sure many a Brownie will remember.
Your cake sounds very autumnal… I’ve never tried a cake with beetroot in it, but am sure it must add a beautiful rich colour and keep the crumb moist as well. Is the recipe on your blog? Would love to give it a try! M.xx
Hi Margot – the recipe is going up on the blog soon! Yes it was actually really nice, moist, pretty colour and the roasted hazelnuts added depth. All in all really good!
I adore macadamias and it’s been years since I made honeycomb of any kind. What a bother that you didn’t register the business name ages ago. Such paraphernalia we have to endure in this brave new world of blogging.
Apologies for taking so long to respond Liz. Macadamias are fantastic… and make this honeycomb extremely moreish, which can be a little dangerous when you don’t have the self-restraint to stop at just one piece. Thanks for your thoughts regarding the name… I’m sure it will all work out fine, as long as I don’t keep getting emails asking if I can cater for events. 😉
Honeycomb, please I cannot pass by without singing and doing a happy dance. Just love it. Thanks for sharing and I am so happy I found your blog.
I am following your blog, and wanted to invite you to participate and feature as a Guest poster with us, and share some of your awesome recipes on our blog?
Have a look at: https://cookandenjoyrecipes.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/update-fellow-bloggers-sharing-is-caring-recipe-exchange/ and leave me a note in the comments with a link to a recipe on your blog, if you’re interested. That will be just fantastic. Hope to hear from you soon 😊
That’s very kind of you to say… singing and happy dancing is quite a compliment, thank you! 🙂
I’ll come through to have a look at your website as soon as I get a chance. I appreciate your invitation to participate. Cheers, Margot
That is one awesome combo!!! (:
Thank you… so kind of you to comment! 🙂
So excited this morning to notice an email about this post in Yahoo mail! Hehehe, it is about time! Joking. 🙂 Actually, I changed my theme (for knf) just last night. HP is done and dusted.
Can’t believe that about your blog name. The cheek! Particularly as you bought your domain. Problem is, you’ll keep getting unwanted queries (even if you now change your blog name/domain).
The honeycomb I made last year melted on me. Hmm, not sure why. Maybe the use of honey would help. Will have to try this further into autumn.
Happy Spring!
Ha! I’m excited to find that you haven’t abandoned me for my lack of communication these days Johnny! Three months between posts is surely verging on the unforgivable in the blogging world, no? 😉 I’ll come through in a moment to check out your new theme… always fun to mix things up a bit… a bit like putting on a new outfit to wear for the first time (a magenta onesie for example!?) I do so miss Saucy Gander… do you know it’s been 2 long years since she last graced us with her presence?
And yes, the cheek of it indeed! In retrospect I was quite possibly a little too polite in my email response to her… as I’ve been quietly fuming about it ever since (thus my need for off-loading it on all of you through this post). Though, really must try to not let stuff like this get to me… in the grand scheme of things, it’s not worth it!
Can only think with the honeycomb that perhaps the mixture either wasn’t allowed to froth enough (even though this happens so fast when the bicarb is added), or that it was taken too far and the froth had subsided. Let me know how you go if you try it again.
Happy Autumn to you! Hope it’s been a good summer over there this year. 🙂
PS. The new theme looks fabulous Johnny! Very visual, which is perfect for all the beautiful photos you take. I’m now craving something delicious for morning tea… with thoughts of Lemon Meringue Pie and Bakewell Tartlets now in my head! Nothing quite so delicious stashed away in the pantry right now… 😢
I love honeycomb but have never made it…you’ve inspired me! And as for someone else using your name…doesn’t sound like she did much research beforehand. Rather foolish of her perhaps.
It was surprisingly simple to make Tanya, just don’t let the mixture darken too quickly… just a quick stir in of the bicarb, allow it to froth/foam up and then immediately into the baking tin. My first batch I stirred for too long as it was frothing and saw it ruined and bitter within seconds.
The name choice seems rather foolish to me too… it will be interesting to see how it all develops.
Thanks so much for stopping by and hope all is well in your part of the world. I’ll stop by soon to find out what you’ve been up to lately and where in Europe you currently are… 🙂
Using the very same name is indeed annoying!
Love the addition of roasted salted nuts here. 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts Ronit!
I wasn’t sure if the salted nuts would be too overpowering, but they worked beautifully.
First of all Margot absolutely no need for apologies I will eat vicariously through your post it looks amazing. Love macadamia nuts and rarely use them not sure why, guess they are not all that easily or readily available. I am miffed as well about that person asking you to give up your name. Really??? Didn’t they research and see the name is in use. That should have been reason enough to come up with another name. Love that honeycomb it looks fantastic and I look forward to more posts so glad you are back. No explanations needed just glad to see you.
Thanks Suzanne, I really did hesitate in posting this one, knowing that it’s precisely what you’re trying to avoid right now… blogging friends should be there to help, not hinder! Macadamias are my favourite variety of nut and being native to Australia, thankfully very easy to come by, albeit still on the expensive side.
It does seem logical to think that she would have done a certain amount of research… I guess that’s why it’s so perplexing that she’d go ahead with it in this way. Surely a big part of the excitement in the early days of setting up a new business is all that creative side of developing a new name, logo and thumbprint that is innovative and original?
Oh yum, adding macadamias to honeycomb is inspired. I can see why this beauty got you into a posting fram of mind. I’m with you, don’t give up anything, although it may become annoying if their catering business takes off. FYI the G&G.com.au domain is still not active, try sending them a cease and desist letter. My daughter had to change her business logo under pressure because it was similar, not same to another in use
I ate WAY too much of these sweets for my own good Sandra! Perhaps a little like your other half with choc-dipped candied orange peel!? 😉 With honey having a red light in the FODMAP guide, I’m curious as to what the best option would be to substitute it with… maple syrup? golden syrup?
Thanks for your thoughts on G&G… I think the worst part of it is feeling that down the track if I decided to start up a business of my own, that the name I love and have spent the past 3 and a half years building up, probably won’t be available to me. Ha… love the idea of a cease and desist letter, but legally it appears that she hasn’t done anything wrong.
So much time, effort, creativity and love go into these things (like your daughter’s logo), that’s it’s really tough when you potentially have to go back to square one and design things all over again.
Yes maple and golden syrups are the best options, in this instance the viscosity is probably the most important thing and the ability to get the sugars to change their nature. Has your rival for G&G registered it nationally or just in Queensland? Check and then race to fill the void. Catering is a fickle business and I would guess in Brissy esp, her business may fizzle. xx
Thanks Sandra! When the honey runs out, I might need to give it another try with Lyle’s Golden Syrup to see if the flavour works just as well. Always up for another batch…
I think the business name has been registered nationally – it shows on the ASIC website when you search for whether a name is available or not. It states that the name was registered in late July (going through to 2019), shows an ABN number and gives her details showing a Queensland address. With your food/catering background you’d certainly have insight into this… can’t imagine it’s ever easy starting up a new business. M.xx
Ooooh so yummy….definitely going to try this Margot after I send the boys out to harvest the macadamia nuts….also sporadic gather and graze is always better than no g & g….lives are so busy these days…I’m sure most of my fellow followers will agree we’ll continue to stop by this site for insiration no matter how sporadic!!! 😊
So lovely to be able to pick your very own macadamias dear Claire… the joys of having a very large and productive garden! Oh and not to forget those gorgeous little helpers for harvesting. 😘 Thank you as always for your support and warm words… I do love you dearly my friend! M.xx
We often made honeycomb when my kids were young. With varying degrees of success it might be time to give it another go! Welcome back
Thanks so much for stopping by Joan. For me honeycomb’s a treat that’s reminiscent of fetes and the cake/sweet stalls that carried sticky toffees, fudge and coconut ice. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to make a batch of my own!