Honeybuns is a Dorset-based small cake producer founded by entrepreneur and baker extraordinaire Emma Goss-Custard in the late 1990’s. Their humble beginnings meant that deliveries were made by bicycle (although some might call this a personal courier delivery service!) – the company has grown exponentially and their products are now stocked in Waitrose, Morrisons and can be found on the counters of all good coffee shops up and down the UK – including John Lewis espresso bars and Sainsbury’s coffee shops.
The range of 15 different cakes are slow baked in small batches using only natural ingredients and are specifically wheat free with some of them being gluten free and dairy free as well. This provides a range of possibilities for those with allergies, but the cakes are very tasty even if you are allergy free.
Having met Emma at a trade show we woke up one morning to the delivery of a huge box containing cakes and cookies from Honeybuns. We decided (diet allowing) to set up an independent taste test using a number of lucky BestCuppa members. Here we present the results as they came in.
First tasters were Alison and Clive Brigden:
MILK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE
Alison 9/10
Possibly the best brownie I’ve ever tasted – moist with a slight coffee kick and choc chips for added yumminess!
Clive 8/10
Lovely texture, would maybe prefer less coffee though.
HONEYED APPLE COOKIE
Alison 8/10
More of a cake than a cookie really – almond, apple and honey are a great combination but it was a bit too sweet for me.
Clive 9/10
Liked the texture and the flavours worked really well together.
COPPICE CAKE
Alison 7/10
Lovely and moist but I found the texture a little strange – a little grainy, presumably due to the polenta. Still yummy though, I’m not complaining!
Clive 8/10
Great mix of tastes, like the nuts choc and fruit together.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE TINKER
Alison 8/10
For me you really can’t go wrong with choccy and this didn’t disappoint for a rich and naughty treat! Clive never got to see this one!
SNOWY HILLS
Alison 7/10
Fresh zingy lemoniness but again the polenta made the texture a little strange.
Clive 7/10
Full of flavour and lovely and moist.
The second tasters were Dawn and Tony Sigrist:
HEATHCLIFFE BROWNIE
The winner, moist, rich, chocolatey and fruity. Big hit for both of us, loved it and would buy it again. 10/10.
Family of Honeybuns' Brownies!
CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SHORTBREAD
Very indulgent cake, loved the chocolate chunks. Would definitely buy again. Would also love to try a milk chocolate version. 10/10.
COPPICE CAKE
Lovely light moist cake. Liked the cranberries and sultanas. Enjoyed very much. 9/10.
CONGO BAR
Good cake, wasn’t keen on the coconut even though I usually like coconut. Enjoyed the milk chocolate topping. 8/10.
Display that includes Congo Bar
ALMOND MOON
Very tasty cake, very filling. Loved the cranberries on top. 8/10.
RUDOLF’S SURPRISE
Very chocolatey, very rich. Not a fan of glace cherries. Big hit with the kids. Would not be prepared to pay as much money for this cake as the others as it is effectively a rice crispie cake, albeit a nice one. 7/10.
The third taster group were Gary Kifford and Zane Runge:
SNOWY HILLS
Very nice taste combination, the powerful lemon and the ginger after burn. Lovely cake with a good texture.
Gary 7/10
Zane 7.5/10
MOOSH BAR
This was very rich and chocolatey, although the chocolate and mint combination was a little bitter for our taste. A good biscuit texture.
Gary 4/10
Zane 8/10
COPPICE CAKE
A very moist cake with a good caramel flavour as well as the fruity cranberry taste. A lovely cake that was very moreish.
Gary 7/10
Zane 8/10
ALMOND AND SALTED PISTACHIO COOKIE
Our favourite cookie with a good nut flavour combination that favoured the pistachio more than the almond. This was very nice and we highly recommend it.
Gary 8/10
Zane 9/10
Almond & Salted Pistachio
ALMOND MOON
The cake was good but not quite right for me [Gary]. Zane liked it better than I did. She said it was excellent and reminded her of her mother’s home baking (she comes from Latvia).
Gary 4/10
Zane 10/10
SCRUMDIDDLEYUMPTIOUS COOKIE
Taste it? We had to try and spell it first! This had a good lemon flavour and excellent texture. Would be very good with a tall latte or a vanilla chai.
Gary 6/10
Zane 9/10
Tempting stack of cookies!
HEATHCLIFFE BROWNIE
A fantastic chocolate flavour with a pleasing texture and a very sumptuous, decadent feel in the mouth. This is definitely what you would want on a tea plate at Buckingham Palace or afternoon tea at the Ritz!
Gary 10/10
Zane 8/10
From the above comments I think it is fair to say the taste test team enjoyed their first experience with Honeybuns cakes and cookies! There were reservations about some of the cakes but life is all about new experiences and if you don’t try something new then … well – variety is the spice of life! When we tasted some of the Honeybuns cookies and cakes we loved the Moosh Bar, Rudolph’s Surprise, Almondi, the Congo Bar and the Almond and Pistachio cookie. We’re sure we would have liked some of the others too, but our tasters had eaten the lot, greedy beggars!
All in all, Honeybuns produce some scrummy cakes and cookies. Go on treat yourself!
Message to Honeybuns … we know you are constantly adding to your range of goodies – we’re happy to try out any new products!!!
