(that’s $10 for 8oz.)
When I was in London in January and visiting Fortnum and Mason, I texted Christin and asked her what she wanted me to bring her. She said, “I don’t know, some honey?” So, for those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I spent a good deal of time wandering through the store, almost every day while I was there. Their honey collection was quite amazing and, because of carrying issues, I only picked one relatively small, 8 oz. jar of honey for her. I tried to pick a special one – and it looks like I hit the jackpot! It turned out to be one called Single Estate Welsh Heather Honey. It has its own jar number and Apiary id: Cefn y Fedw.
This morning, Christin ran upstairs while we made breakfast to retrieve her jar to try on her multi-grain toast. Honestly, I weened myself off my daily obsession with honey in my tea years ago while I was trying to eliminate sugar from my diet. She commented to me that the honey was very thick, more so than any other she’d had. I walked over and picked up the jar and inhaled the fragrance. I can not tell you what happened in appropriate language. The fragrance which emanated from this jar was like nothing I had ever experienced. To say it was a heady moment would be an understatement. “Oh my God”, I said. She had scraped the tiniest amount onto her toast and I immediately retrieved a butter knife to “help her” slather her toast. She balked at my intruding on her moment with her toast and I retreated. But, a few moments later, while I was all alone in the kitchen, I scooped a teaspoon out of the jar and stuck it in my mouth. Feeling like I had just committed a mortal sin, I quickly looked around and closed up the jar. I’m not kidding when I say I felt like I had something sinful in my kitchen. Caviar? No. Anything else, No. This is indeed the most delicious individual, nature-made food item I have ever tasted. Call Ryan and tell him to go buy every jar on the shelf!
Ok, so you think I am exaggerating wildly, I know. Anyone around can call me and come over and try it – I invite you right now! All I can say is “Thank you bees of Wales! I am coming back for more.” And so, as Christin and I were driving about a half an hour later, I said to her, “I can still taste that honey in my mouth!” And, the delicious floral aftermath lingered there for a long while – again, like nothing I had ever eaten before! I kid you not.
“Chalk this up to the third food item I am now obsessed with”, I said to her a little later. Right up there with two other wonders of nature I adore – olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. She laughed and said, it’s only three? I now have three books to write I said – one on olive oil, one on balsamic vinegar and one on honey. And as I drove along with the sun streaming into my car and warming me, I clarified my thoughts – this is the only true miracle of nature of the three – the process untouched by human processing, pressing or aging. Just the bees – only the bees and two human hands and an extractor to pull the honey off the honeycomb!
Now I have yet another food item to add to the list of those to be enchanted by for the rest of my years – I’ll follow the trails to discover the great terroirs and artists harvesting honey! Note to self: Add the heather dales of Wales to my list of places to visit!
And so, I went off in search of the terroir and lore about this place, flora and their bees. I found these:
nora.nerc.ac.uk/4310/1/Heather_England_Wales.pdf
www.wbka.com/pdf/a017heatherhoney.pdf
Overview from Fortnum and Mason website: Heather is the best honey-making plant in the UK; it is the protein in the heather that gives the honey its gelatinous texture. The aroma of this honey is of fragrant heather and wet moorlands; it has a very strong flavour, almost alcoholic in its headiness, with an edge of bitterness. The deep, dark, oaky flavours are excellent for cooking, as the flavour is not lost in the process.
www.fortnumandmason.com/p-8205-welsh-heather-honey-280g.aspx
www.honeytraveler.com/single-flower-honey/heather-honey/
Upon doing a little reading online, I saw stories of disastrous honey production in the UK in 2012; my jar actually was poured in September 2011. I intend to do some more research to see what the status is and outlook for 2013. Now I am wondering if they jarred any in 2012!
This is an item to be rationed and savored! No cooking or dressing with this, no adding it to other ingredients. This is an as-is experience, nothing more to say! When someone asks me what I want for my birthday in the future, I’m not asking for Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream any more. I will remember the sensation of this honey lingering in my mouth this morning for a long while. This was an unique experience today – one I will not forget. I think I’ll get a case and give it as gifts!