Soak the tapioca pearls in cool water for at least an hour, you can do it overnight but they do get sort of soggy and therefore make your pudding thicken quite a lot. I recommend a couple hours, but obviously there is some flexibility here.
After the pearls have soaked, strain the water out and place them in a medium saucepan along with the milk and sugar or honey and heat and stir over medium high heat until it comes to a boil.
Next you need to temper the eggs, this is done by slowly drizzling about a cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking vigorously while you do it.
Next reverse the motion and slowly drizzle the egg mixture back into the saucepan, again whisking the entire time.
Once the egg mixture is in the pan, put it back on the burner.
Whisk until the mixture is bubbly and fairly thick. It will thicken as it cools so don't worry if it is a bit runnier than you would like.
Add the vanilla extract.
You can then serve it hot (which is delicious) or place a piece of plastic directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until cold and then serve.
It is wonderful served with some little cookies or fresh fruit.
Recipe by Foods of Our Lives at https://www.foodsofourlives.com/2015/01/tapioca-pudding/