Book Review: The Fresh Honey Cookbook by Laurey Masterton

Title:  The Fresh Honey Cookbook:  84 Recipes from a Beekeeper's Kitchen

Author:  Laurey Masterton

Publication Date:  Sept 11, 2013

Price at time of review (Amazon):
Kindle edition:  $9.99
Paperback:  $8.97, List price $14.95

     

Book description from Amazon:  Indulge in these 84 luscious recipes inspired by honey bees, the food they pollinate, and the wonderful range of honey they produce. Highlighting a different honey varietal each month (tupelo, orange blossom, acacia, avocado, raspberry, tulip poplar, sourwood, blueberry, cranberry, eucalyptus, chestnut, and sage), beekeeper and chef Laurey Masterton offers amazing dishes made from simple, fresh ingredients. You'll love Avocado and Mango Salad, Candy Roaster Squash Soup, Pork Tenderloin with Orange Blossom Honey-Mustard, Turkey Roulade in Puffed Pastry with Cranberry Chutney, Wild Salmon with a Smoky Onion Crust, Sweet Potato Salad with Sourwood Honey, Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream, Elsie's Cranberry Pie, and Coconut Macaroons with Dried Cherries. You'll also find honey-tasting tips and fascinating glimpses into the life of a beehive.

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My Rating:

3 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Let me start by saying this book deserves to be a 4 star rating.  I truly enjoyed it from cover to cover.  So why did I only rate it 3 stars?  I think the title is unintentionally misleading.  This was not really a honey cookbook, in fact some of the recipes do not even contain honey.  This book is more a mix of recipes and beekeeping facts.  Ms. Masterton does state in the intro that not all of the recipes contain honey, but rather they all include ingredients that would not exist without bees as pollinators.  This is not evident from the cover or title.

The book is organized into chapters by the season and months of the year.  Each season lists the chores of the beekeeper and then is divided into individual months with recipes.  There is a variety of recipes from appetizers through desserts and even some drinks.

Here's what I liked:  Beautiful color pictures of beekeeping throughout the year and of some of the recipes.  I also enjoyed reading about Ms. Masterton's adventures in beekeeping and all of the fun bee facts throughout the book.

What I think could have been improved:  not all of the recipes have pictures.  I always find it more difficult to get excited about a recipe without a pretty picture.  I also would have liked more recipes with honey.

As a novice beekeeper, I really enjoyed this book for it's beekeeping tips and recipes.  Perhaps it should have been titled simply "Recipes from a Beekeeper's Kitchen".

*ARC courtesy of Storey Publishing, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!*