Mountain Honey from the School Apiary 1kg

This mountain honey comes from Le Rucher de l'École, the farm run by Virginie and William Gay at Saint-Léger-de-Fougeret, in the Nièvre. The label calls them "bee shepherds in the heart of the Morvan hills for two generations" and states that it is a French honey made by their own bees. The apiary sits in a former village school, hence its name, inside the Morvan regional nature park.

The honey is not pasteurised: it is spun out by centrifuge at hive temperature, around 34 °C, with no heating that would cost it its aromas. In the jar we photographed it is still runny, an amber colour leaning towards red. As the label says, it crystallises naturally, and that is not a fault. To make it runny again, stand the open jar in a warm water bath for a few minutes, staying below hive temperature.

Eat it by the spoon on toast, in a yoghurt or stirred into an infusion that has cooled a little. In the kitchen it glazes a duck breast or roast carrots, and it goes into gingerbread, a vinaigrette or a honey caramel. The 1 kg jar suits families and anyone who puts honey in everything. Keep it closed, away from heat and damp. You will also find it on the shelves of our shop, 58 rue Tiquetonne, Paris.