Fir Honey from the School Apiary 500g

This jar comes from Le Rucher de l'École, the farm run by Virginie and William Gay in Saint-Léger-de-Fougeret, in the Nièvre, in the middle of the Morvan hills. Unlike flower honeys, fir honey is a honeydew honey: the bees do not collect nectar but the sugary liquid left by small insects on the needles and branches of conifers. According to the beekeeper, it is harvested in the upper Morvan, above 600 m, and the label carries the words Miel de France (honey from France). The honey is extracted by centrifugal force at hive temperature, around 34 °C, and it is not pasteurised.

Its colour ranges from light caramel to a deep brown. On the palate it has balsamic and malty notes and a resin aroma that recalls the forest. It crystallises very slowly and stays runny for a long time, although, as the label says, it may set in the end.

The strong taste calls for bold pairings. Spread it on buttered rye bread, serve it with a mountain cheese or a blue, or bake it into a gingerbread where it holds its own against cinnamon and anise. In the kitchen, a spoonful stirred into the pan juices of a duck breast or roast pork gives a brown, lightly woody sauce. 500 g glass jar, also on the shelves of our shop, 58 rue Tiquetonne, Paris.