What Is Chunk Honey? Honeycomb and Runny Honey Together
If you've ever enjoyed cut comb honey, you may have come across another way of enjoying honeycomb called chunk honey.
Chunk honey brings together a piece of natural honeycomb and liquid honey in the same jar, giving you the smooth, flowing texture of runny honey alongside the experience of eating honeycomb.
It's a simple combination, but it makes for something a little different from a traditional jar of honey.
What Is Chunk Honey?
Chunk honey is made by placing a piece of natural honeycomb into a jar and surrounding it with liquid honey.
The honeycomb is produced by the bees themselves. They build the wax comb, fill the cells with honey and, when the honey is ready, seal the cells with wax cappings.
With chunk honey, that piece of natural comb remains intact within the jar while the surrounding honey is in its liquid form.
This means you get two different textures together — smooth, flowing honey and the natural texture of honeycomb.
How Is Chunk Honey Different From Cut Comb Honey?
Chunk honey and cut comb honey are closely related, but they aren't quite the same.
Cut comb honey is a piece of honeycomb containing its own honey, usually presented as a piece of comb on its own.
Chunk honey combines a piece of honeycomb with liquid honey in the same jar.
Both allow you to enjoy natural honeycomb, but chunk honey gives you the additional experience of having runny honey surrounding the comb.
Why Did We Decide to Make Chunk Honey?
This year's honey harvest gave us an abundance of beautiful cut comb from our bees.
While working with one of our apiary sites, we also noticed that we were getting some particularly lovely, clear honey.
We had already produced both cut comb and runny honey from this site, so we started thinking about whether there was another way to bring the two together.
And that's where the idea for our Chunk Honey came from.
Rather than simply producing another jar of runny honey, we wanted to make something that allowed the natural honeycomb to remain part of the finished product.
So this year, we're producing a small seasonal batch of around 100 jars.
What Does Chunk Honey Taste Like?
The flavour of chunk honey depends on the honey surrounding the comb and the natural forage the bees have been working on.
Our honey comes from our Lincolnshire apiaries, where the bees forage across the changing countryside throughout the season.
The flowers available, the weather and the time of year can all influence the colour, flavour and character of a honey harvest.
That means a jar of chunk honey isn't simply about the honeycomb itself. It also reflects the particular harvest from which it came.
Can You Eat the Honeycomb?
Yes. The honeycomb itself can be eaten alongside the honey.
The comb is made from beeswax, which the bees produce to build the structure of their hive. The cells hold the honey until the bees are ready to use it or, when appropriate, until the beekeeper harvests it.
Some people enjoy eating the honeycomb directly, while others like to spread it onto toast or serve it alongside other foods.
There isn't really a right way to enjoy it.
How Can You Enjoy Chunk Honey?
Chunk honey can be enjoyed in many of the same ways as runny honey, but the piece of honeycomb gives you something extra.
Try it:
Spread over toast or warm bread
With crumpets or pancakes
Spoon over yoghurt or porridge
Alongside a cheeseboard
As part of a breakfast or afternoon treat
Straight from the jar
The honeycomb can be eaten along with the honey, giving you a different texture from ordinary runny honey.
From Hive to Jar
What makes chunk honey particularly special to us is that you can see part of the journey inside the jar.
The bees have built the comb.
They have filled it with honey.
We have harvested the honey and comb from the apiary.
And instead of separating everything completely, we're keeping a piece of that natural honeycomb within the finished jar.
It's another example of what we mean when we talk about Hive to Home.
The finished product may be sitting on a breakfast table, but its story began much earlier — with the bees and the flowers they were visiting around our Lincolnshire apiaries.
Why Is Our Chunk Honey a Seasonal Product?
We don't produce Chunk Honey as a permanent product.
The availability depends on what our bees produce and the type of honeycomb and liquid honey available from a suitable harvest.
This year's combination gave us the opportunity to make a small batch, so we're producing around 100 jars.
Once this batch has gone, we'll have to wait for another suitable harvest before making it again.
That's part of the nature of working with honey.
We don't make exactly the same harvest every year. The bees, the weather, the flowers and the seasons all play their part.
Chunk Honey: Two Parts of the Hive in One Jar
Chunk honey is a simple way to enjoy two forms of honey together.
Smooth, golden runny honey surrounds a piece of natural honeycomb, giving you the familiar sweetness of liquid honey alongside the texture and character of the comb itself.
For us, it's also a lovely way to make use of what our bees have produced this year.
From the flowers, to the bees, to the honeycomb, to the jar — from hive to home. 🐝🍯
Frequently Asked Questions
What is chunk honey?
Chunk honey is liquid honey containing a piece of natural honeycomb. The honeycomb remains intact within the jar and can be eaten alongside the honey.
Is chunk honey the same as cut comb honey?
No. Cut comb honey is sold as a piece of honeycomb containing its own honey. Chunk honey combines a piece of honeycomb with liquid honey in a jar.
Can you eat the honeycomb in chunk honey?
Yes. Natural honeycomb is edible and can be eaten alongside the honey.
Does chunk honey crystallise?
Like other natural honey, the liquid honey in chunk honey can naturally crystallise over time. The rate at which honey crystallises depends on its natural composition and the nectar sources collected by the bees.
How long will your Chunk Honey be available?
This is a small seasonal batch of around 100 jars. Once this harvest has sold, it won't be available again until we have another suitable combination of honey and honeycomb.
Learn More About Honey
If you'd like to understand more about the honey our bees produce throughout the seasons, explore our Honey guide.
You can also learn more about:
What Makes Honey from Louth and the Lincolnshire Wolds So Special?
And if you'd like to try this year's small batch:
Explore our Lincolnshire Chunk Honey.
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