Raw Orange Blossom Honey 900g

01 · HOW YOU KNOW IT

Very pale, and the scent of the orange grove

Very pale in colour, almost clear in a freshly filled jar. On the nose it gives an unmistakable floral aroma that comes down to one compound, methyl anthranilate: it is the marker of orange blossom, intense and lingering, and what makes this honey smell literally of orange trees in flower. In the mouth it is sweet with a very marked acid edge, which is what saves it from being cloying.

02 · IT CRYSTALLISES, AND THAT IS A GOOD SIGN

Slowly, in fine crystals

All raw honey crystallises with time and cold — that is physics, not a fault: it means it has not been stabilised with heat. Orange blossom does it slowly and in very fine crystal, so it goes from runny to spreadable without turning gritty. The exception is a batch rich in wall rocket, which speeds the process up. If you want it liquid again, a warm water bath and patience: never a microwave or boiling water.

03 · AT THE TABLE

Where it shines and where it is lost

It works where the aroma has room to show: hot milk, infusions and dairy — yoghurt, fresh cheeses, curd — and it makes a very good contrast with tinned anchovies and with duck stews. On mild ice cream it adds perfume without covering it. In a heavily spiced or heavily roasted recipe, on the other hand, orange blossom disappears: there a honey with more character does better.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is raw honey: it crystallises over time and that is not a fault. As with all honey, Spain's food safety agency advises against giving it to children under 12 months.