Top Ways To Use Honey In The Summer

After some cold and wet weather, summer certainly has felt like it's on the way lately with some lovely sunny spring days and a very welcome rise in temperature. There have also been plenty of bees buzzing around my back garden already. Even my little bee garden which was left dormant over winter (and in a pretty sorry state, I have to admit) has started flowering again before I've even had a chance to do anything to it!

This is the time of year to hopefully forget about flu remedies, sore throats and not getting enough vitamin D! Let's all enjoy the wonderful spring weather and celebrate all the brilliant ways we can use honey over the coming summer, as it won't be long now!

At the Barbecue.

Honey has become an indispensable ingredient at our summer barbecues. From sticky honey glazes on chicken and sausages; to a delicious sweetener in our cool long iced teas. There's something about the taste of honey while eating and drinking with friends outside in the summer sun that just feels so right. It's even better if there's a few bees buzzing around the garden too!

Honey has also become a constant ingredient in many dips and salad dressings. My favourite is the honey and mustard garlic dressing from this recipe post last year. I always have a bottle made up in the fridge as it's just perfect with so many things! Check out all our posted recipe ideas to get your next summer barbecue buzzing with the taste of Just Bee pure honey.

If you want to make some versatile sauce for use on burgers, hot-dogs or just to dip your chips in, why not try this easy to make BBQ sauce recipe.

Just Bee Honey BBQ Sauce:

250g Tomato Ketchup
100g Brown Sugar
60ml Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Tbsp Just Bee Honey
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1 Tsp Black Pepper

Just add all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a bubble, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before transferring to a glass jar or bottle.

You can store this for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Summer Skincare.

In the sunny summer weather taking care of your skin is just as important as it is during the cold winter months, maybe even more so. Honey is a brilliant natural product when it comes to skin care. Not only does it act as a gentle cleanser, removing dirt from clogged facial pores, it will also leave your skin smooth and silky soft due to its natural moisturising and skin nourishing abilities.

If you suffer from dry or flaky skin in the summer you can make a simple but effective all natural exfoliation product by mixing some honey with rolled oats and massaging it gently into the affected areas. It will gently remove dead skin cells and leave your skin soft and smooth ready for moisturising.

If you are lucky enough to live by the beach then the combination of salt water, sand and heat from the sun can leave your hair feeling extremely dry and dishevelled. To make your hair feel soft, smooth, and rejuvenated, simply mix 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil with 2 tablespoons of Just Bee honey and apply directly to your hair and scalp. Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse out with a mild natural shampoo. You'll be amazed how wonderful your hair feels and the skin on your scalp will be soft and deeply moisturised.

Check out our blog on honey facemasks where you'll find a mask for dry skin. It's a great way to moisturise and rejuvenate skin that's been dried out by a few days on the beach! I like to apply this mask after coming back from the beach, before getting in the shower to wash all that sand out my toes!

Summer Cocktails.

Honey cocktails are one of my favourite treats in the summer, honey does a brilliant job of balancing the sour notes from citrus fruits and the sharpness of drinks like gin and vodka. However honey can be difficult to mix into cocktails, and for that reason in all my honey cocktails I use a home-made honey syrup, which is really easy to make and will stir (or shake!) more easily into your favourite summer tipple.

Simply add a jar of Just Bee Honey into a saucepan, then using the empty jar, add a jarful of water. Heat gently until all the honey has completely dissolved, then once cooled pour it all into an airtight container and store in the fridge. There are many recipes that you can use this honey syrup in and it can be used as a replacement in any cocktail recipe that calls for sugar syrup.

To get you started on your summer cocktail adventure, here's my favourite quick and easy Margarita!

Just Bee Honey Margarita:

100ml Tequila
75ml Orange Liqueur
50ml Just Bee Honey Syrup
50ml Orange Juice
25ml Lime Juice

Put a handful of ice into a cocktail jug, pour the ingredients in and give it a good stir. Enjoy responsibly!

Natural Hydrating Energy Drink.

Over the summer many of us will enjoy cycling, rambling or simply getting out for a nice walk in the sun. Staying hydrated is a must and taking a bottle of water or two along with you is always a very good idea.

You can make a very simple energy drink by dissolving 2 teaspoons of honey into a sports/cycle sized bottle of water. You'll still get all the hydration from the water with the added boost of energy from the honey. I've used both our Valencia Orange and Lemon & Ginger varieties to make some flavoured honey water and they were really tasty and effective on my long nature walks!

These are just some of our favourite ways to use honey in the summer, comment below let us know what yours are!