International Bee keepers breakfast

Look what a lot I've got!

Thanks to the generosity of travelling and distant friends I've got honey from Spain, France, Australia and New Zealand.  Its time for an international breakfast!

Armed with a super soft fresh loaf I'm going to have my own personal taste test...

Starting with a special limited edition Stringy bark honey from Australia...

 

This one is super special - celebrating 60 years of being Australia's favourite honey, and smells really quite strongly of toffee.. According to the label the honey comes from hives from forest sites along the coastal mountain range of New South Wales.  It is a really flavourful honey and I completely LOVE the "rich luxurious flavour that leaves a lingering caramel after taste".  Yum tum nom nom nom......

Moving onto the New Zealand Manuka honey.... 

I'm not going to join the debate about it being a super food I'm just interested in its taste.  Like the Australian one this is also a forest originated honey from a remote, pollution free location.  The label on this one promises a "world renowned super rich distinctive flavour", but to my taste buds, and in comparison to its Ozzy neighbour ...this is sadly quite bland.

Now closer to home, two Spanish honeys. The names translate as "dietary selection" and "forest honey".  The dietary selection smells distinctly fruity and flowery and tastes very very sweet.  The forest honey smells warm and tastes tastes mellow and caramelly.  Is my favourite of the two...

And finally two french creamed honeys.  Creaming is a stirring process that is done to create fine crystals in the honey that gives it a more solid, creamy texture.  It makes it thicker and more spreadable...perfect for soft bread...

I really like the label on this one, lovely traditional sketch of a bee keeper in action...

 

In the descriptive blurb it describes this honey as a "perfect marriage" between the region Poitou-Charentes and Vendee grove, the honey has a creamy smooth texture and very pale straw colour and it definitely has the promised subtle flavour...surprisingly hardly any flavour at all.... :(

The label on the second French honey, has some surprising stuff written on it, this is what Google translate makes of it.." ...I remember the pleasure of a full tooth biting a large slice of honey, or strolling along the paths of the school rocked by sunlight. Childhood a time of recklessness and discoveries. Time or the taste of nice things that remain with us forever.."  What a lot of hokum to describe honey!! - maybe it makes more sense left in its original French!! (Maybe it also tastes better in its original county)

So now the most important question - which was my favourite?

Well ......for taste the Spanish Forest honey was for me, the most flavourful one..but loses because its just a bit rebellious and wont stay on the bread!!!

So frankly, this time I'm sticking with the Australian's - Stringy bark wins best flavour of the day!