A new delicatessen has opened up opposite my hairdresser… and I went in.

Now – what do I do with this black truffle honey I found I’ve just bought?

All sorts of ideas for things to do with truffle honey

• smoked salmon, greek yoghurt, and truffle honey on a sort of bagel – this idea has been snaffled from the wonderful tapas bar Quimet & Quimet – go to this review for a description to make you drool – I didn’t think I would have dared to use so much honey until I tried it myself – wonderful. You can also try smoked salmon on crisp toast, with Greek yoghurt, truffle honey and black pepper at The Port House in London. Or another variation – very successful – is smoked salmon, ricotta, truffle honey and dry-roasted, chopped walnuts.
• over gorgonzola on crostini
• as a glaze for a pheasant, pigeon or chicken breast, mixed with chopped thyme and grinds of Indonesian long pepper
• with ricotta and prosciutto on grilled ciabatta
• with whisky and walnut oil as a marinade for steak or other grilled meat
• bake a brie in the oven for about twenty minutes and then drizzle the honey on top, serve with smoked almonds and warm crusty bread
• over seared scallops – perhaps also with some lime or lemon juice
• with ricotta as an elegant pudding
• with burrata, pesto and tomato – a fresh and different starter
• drizzle over thin slices of fried, breaded and spiced aubergine
• just seen a tweet by The Urban Kitchen. Proud aunt, Toral Shah, has just found her nephew declaring his love for Manchego cheese and truffle honey sandwiches. You could substitute the Manchego for British cheeses, Lord of the Hundreds or Corra Linn. In fact, truffle honey seems to work well with many sheeps’ cheeses – try also on thin slices of pecorino. Or a Saucy Dressings’ reader reports he spoons his truffle honey over ‘a cheeky, youthful Parmesan’.

• or over a cheese boureka (a middle eastern pie)….
• put some taleggio in an oven-proof dish. Season. Add a sprig of thyme. Drizzle over truffle honey. Bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven. Serve with crusty bread.
• Brindisa in South Kensington they serve salt cod (bacalao) tempura with truffle honey and dried fruit – to die for!

Which truffle honey to buy – what is the difference between white and black truffle honey?

My honey was made with black truffles, but you can also buy honey made with white truffles – in terms of the honey you can combine either with the flavours suggested above, the white truffle will probably have a slightly stronger taste.

A good white truffle honey is Marini & Azzolini acacia truffle honey, ‘super-sweet and earthy notes’, a ‘revelation’ apparently. Available from Souschef.co.uk.