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  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #12168  by Steve 1972
 01 Nov 2021, 15:44
For me to get a 12.5kg pack of fondant from simon the beekeeper it is around £24..to get the same weight in 2.5kg packs of ambrosia/fondabee from abelo it is roughly £1 extra which is a no brainer really as I do not have to cut it up and and put it in suitable strong plastic bags .
 #12178  by JoJo36
 03 Nov 2021, 07:33
You are right Steve/Nigel
It was a pain to chop off lumps and get them sealed in bags!!
The fondant started to get too squishy and it was dropping out of my hands, I had to get cling film to cover each odd shaped lump I managed to pull off and then put in bags for sealer, a complete pain!!
I felt like I was on the 'generation game' with 'Brucie' about to score me!!
Next time I won't be so tight and I'll buy the bags all done (which I've had before)!!
Lesson learned!! :)
 #12180  by MickBBKA
 04 Nov 2021, 00:06
Bakers fondant less than £12 / 12.5Kg block. No brainer.
 #12181  by NigelP
 04 Nov 2021, 08:50
Yes, but where from Mick? And do they deliver?
 #12182  by Patrick
 04 Nov 2021, 13:25
Presumably it depends where you are and how many colonies your run regarding the economics vs convenience. Unsurprisingly online prices seem to have gone up again - last year I bought several 12.5kg fondant blocks at about £13.00 delivered per box but a quick google scan seems to be suggesting a few quid on top of that, including delivery.

Regarding the messiness of cutting it up into smaller quantities, coldness is your friend. Keep it stored outside under cover so when you cut it is nicely cold and solid. Take out of the box but leave on the plastic wrapper and either cut it into smaller slaps with an edged garden spade you stand on or a sharp narrow carving knife. Use nitriles to pick up the slabs and just drop them with blue plastic wrapper still attached into freezer lock bags, at the size that works for you. Shouldn't be too messy. Or just buy in named brand slabs. Whatever.

I have seen debate as to the differing products available and rather didactic comments about the unsuitability of bakers fondant for bees due to catering "additives" but no real supporting science offered. Having used it for twenty years I haven't personally seen a problem.
 #12183  by MickBBKA
 04 Nov 2021, 16:25
Patrick, I think the issue comes from people using 'Fondant' which contains oils to make it smooth rather than actual 'Bakers Fondant' which is just sugar and water.

https://www.chocolatefalls.co.uk/beekeepers
I use this company who have a beekeepers section, yes they are sold out of lots of stuff at the moment as are lots of suppliers due to a poor harvest, covid, lorry drivers, brexit, the moon being in the wrong phase, stuff like that. They have always been good in the past and delivery never been an issue when they had stock.

I usually order a pallet :lol:
 #12184  by NigelP
 04 Nov 2021, 17:56
Thanks for that Mick, never heard of them before. Shame they are currently out of fondant....at that price I'm not surprised.
 #12185  by JoJo36
 05 Nov 2021, 06:03
Patrick
Thats definitely where I went wrong re coldness!
I thought it would be too hard to cut with my carving knife so thought slightly warmed would make it easier but no it was a very bad idea!!
Maybe I'll try cooling it and putting in a freezer next time and giving it another go if it is so much cheaper doing this!
It is the delivery that makes it expensive as I wouldn't want a pallet of it and therefore even the chocolate falls company would charge £6 delivery on top of the price so for me Simon the beekeeper not bad and in stock.
I've got plenty of bags now of deformed lumps sealed in plastic though:)
 #12186  by Steve 1972
 05 Nov 2021, 07:23
Be careful what you wrap it up in Jo..cling film is dangerous as I have seen two colonies in the past Block the entrances trying to remove it from the hive..
 #12188  by Patrick
 05 Nov 2021, 13:26
Sure you are right Mick, people use the terms icing fondant, bakers fondant and candy interchangeably and they are quite different beasts. I have never even considered using icing fondant from supermarkets. I have also seen suggestions that bakers fondant is inferior to propriety bee fondant but have no reason to support that suggestion. I used Chocolatefalls as well and they were very helpful to deal with. Lets hope their stock issue is resolved soon.

The deformed lumps issue is easily solved by bringing into the warm and then just standing on the lump to flatten it! If it is only wrapped in clingfilm then I would put into a stronger freezer bag otherwise it might pop. Also be aware that fondant stored for any length of time can seep liquid so only clingfilm may leak sticky goop s again either pop in bags or store in a plastic container?