Hot Honey and Cheese

Hot honey and cheese is the pairing that converts people. Rich, salty cheese needs something sweet and sharp, and a habanero kick finishes the job – here's our baked camembert, a proper cheese toastie, and how to build a board.

Shop Ouro Habanero Infused Honey – 330g, £8.

Ingredients

Baked camembert with hot honey (serves 2–4 to share)

  • 1 × 250g camembert in a wooden box (or a 250g baking brie)
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 1 small sprig of rosemary, broken into pieces
  • 2 tbsp Ouro Habanero Infused Honey
  • 25g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 small sourdough loaf or baguette, sliced and toasted, to serve

Hot honey cheese toastie (makes 2)

  • 4 slices sourdough or thick white bread
  • 20g butter, softened
  • 100g mature Cheddar, grated
  • 50g mozzarella, grated
  • 2 tsp Ouro Habanero Infused Honey, plus extra to finish
  • 2 slices ham (optional)

Method

Baked camembert

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C (fan). Unwrap the camembert and put it back in the base of its box. If the box is glued rather than stapled, use a small ovenproof dish instead.
  2. Score a shallow criss-cross into the top rind and push the garlic and rosemary into the cuts.
  3. Put it on a baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the centre wobbles when you shake it gently.
  4. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes while it bakes.
  5. Straight out of the oven, drizzle over the Ouro Habanero Infused Honey, scatter with walnuts and serve at once with the toasted bread for dipping.

Cheese toastie

  1. Mix the Cheddar and mozzarella. Butter one side of each slice of bread.
  2. Lay two slices butter-side down, pile on the cheese (and ham, if using), drizzle 1 tsp hot honey over each, then top with the remaining bread, butter-side up.
  3. Cook in a frying pan over a medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes each side, pressing down with a spatula, until golden and the cheese has melted.
  4. Cut in half and finish with an extra drizzle of hot honey over the top.

More hot honey and cheese pairings

  • Goat's cheese toasts. Slice a 125g goat's cheese log into rounds, lay on toasted baguette slices and grill for 2–3 minutes until bubbling. Drizzle with hot honey and scatter with thyme.
  • Goat's cheese salad. Crumble over roast beetroot and rocket, then drizzle with hot honey and a little olive oil.
  • Cheese board. Go for contrast: a mature Cheddar, a blue like Stilton, an aged Gouda and a soft goat's cheese. Add oatcakes or crackers, apple and pear slices, walnuts, and a small bowl of hot honey with a spoon.
  • Burrata or ricotta. Tear over toast or a salad, then finish with hot honey, black pepper and sea salt.

Tips

  • Honey goes on last. Drizzle once the cheese is out of the oven or pan. Baking honey on top just makes it runny and dulls the kick.
  • Salty loves sweet. The saltier or sharper the cheese, the better hot honey works. Mature Cheddar and blues are the easy wins.
  • Take cheese out of the fridge early. For a board, give it 30–45 minutes at room temperature so the flavour opens up.
  • Keep the heat low for toasties. Too high and the bread burns before the middle melts.

More ways to use hot honey

Get the honey

Every idea here is finished with Ouro Habanero Infused Honey: honey, habaneros, white wine vinegar and sea salt, made in small batches in County Down, Northern Ireland. Sweet first, then a proper habanero kick.

Buy a 330g bottle for £8, or stock up with the Triple Threat – 3 × 330g with free UK shipping. Just want a taster for the cheese board? Try the 50g bottle for £4.