The best French honeys in the UK 2023

Honey is an essential product, whether for breakfast, snacks or to prepare dishes. Liquid or creamy, flavored or not, organic or revisited, you have the choice between a large range. But with so many different models and textures, it can be difficult to choose. We suggest you read our buying guide to make your decision easier.

Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes 1
8/10

Best value for money

Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes

The best French honey in 2021

The mountain honey of the Jura is born from a traditional manufacture. It is a product with a unique texture and a gourmet taste. At breakfast, it is what will wait for your toast.

5,59 £ on Monoprix

The Hédène mountain honey is characterized by its greedy and subtle notes of caramel. It is a purely French and traditional honey. It is harvested during the summer period in the mountains of France, which favors the caramelized taste of this sweet nectar. After a few drops on your tongue, you will feel a delicate note of undergrowth that lingers in your mouth for a long time.
The high mountains of the Jura, very rich in flowers, give the honey a unique taste and texture. As for the color, it stops at a brown and very sober hue, it is once again a witness of the purity of the mountain honey. The pollen diversity of the Jura makes each drop of this honey very rich in trace elements. It is the perfect honey to garnish toasted bread.

Honeymoon : Tartimiel 2
7/10

Best value for money

Honeymoon : Tartimiel

The best entry-level French honey

Tartimiel unites a variety of tastes from different backgrounds. Their particularity is that these areas are the least affected by pollution. This is precisely the reason why bees produce more and produce better.

2,23 £ on Monoprix

Tartimiel is known for being a perfect blend of several varieties of flowers. Indeed, this honey comes from several certified organic hives to offer you the optimal mix. Tartimiel is also very ergonomic because of its format and its stop-drop cap, practical to dose with precision. As its name indicates, Tartimiel is made to be the substitute of the toast. It is thus more advised to put it in the snacks of the children or the breakfast.
Lune de Miel is a French brand that has been developing its know-how for years. Thus, it goes without saying that Tartimiel is rigorously controlled to guarantee the purity of the honey and the manufacturing process. Lune de Miel asserts that bees produce the best honey in areas preserved from pollution. This honey is harvested in the traditional way by the beekeeper.

Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys 3
9/10

Best value for money

Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys

The best high-end French honey

Hedene's discovery pack is the result of professional and responsible manufacturing. Each jar of honey has a different taste, texture and color, ideal for those who like novelty and surprise. It is a perfect gift idea for Christmas.

30,20 £ on BienManger

Hédène honey is a purely French production. It is an excellence in design and choice of flowers. Hédène is known for its meticulous way of choosing the flowers foraged by the bees, making sure to select the most beautiful plots of wild flowers. In addition, the company respects bees and their way of life.
This is a box of three jars of honey with a varied taste to allow you to know the extent of the French know-how. This box contains a jar of fir tree honey from Lorraine with a strong character, another jar of acacia honey more sweet and fruity which comes from Burgundy, and a last jar of mulberry honey from Limousin. It is an ideal gift idea to make taste the different flavors of France.

Hédène : Jura mountain honey 4
8/10

Excellent

Hédène : Jura mountain honey

An excellent French honey

The mountain honey of the Jura is born from a traditional manufacture. It is a product with a unique texture and a gourmet taste. At breakfast, it is what will wait for your toast.

5,59 £ on Monoprix

The Hédène mountain honey is characterized by its greedy and subtle notes of caramel. It is a purely French and traditional honey. It is harvested during the summer period in the mountains of France, which favors the caramelized taste of this sweet nectar. After a few drops on your tongue, you will feel a delicate note of undergrowth that lingers in your mouth for a long time.
The high mountains of the Jura, very rich in flowers, give the honey a unique taste and texture. As for the color, it stops at a brown and very sober hue, it is once again a witness of the purity of the mountain honey. The pollen diversity of the Jura makes each drop of this honey very rich in trace elements. It is the perfect honey to garnish toasted bread.

Buying guide • November 2023

Best French honey

Any specific needs?

The best French honey in 2021

The best entry-level French honey

The best high-end French honey

An excellent French honey

Your guide : Samuel

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Comparison table of the best French honeys

EDITOR'S CHOICE CHEAP TOP OF THE RANGE UNAVOIDABLE
Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes 5
8/10
Honeymoon : Tartimiel 6
7/10
Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys 7
9/10
Hédène : Jura mountain honey 8
8/10
OUR SELECTION
Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes
Honeymoon : Tartimiel
Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys
Hédène : Jura mountain honey
The mountain honey of the Jura is born from a traditional manufacture. It is a product with a unique texture and a gourmet taste. At breakfast, it is what will wait for your toast.
Tartimiel unites a variety of tastes from different backgrounds. Their particularity is that these areas are the least affected by pollution. This is precisely the reason why bees produce more and produce better.
Hedene's discovery pack is the result of professional and responsible manufacturing. Each jar of honey has a different taste, texture and color, ideal for those who like novelty and surprise. It is a perfect gift idea for Christmas.
The mountain honey of the Jura is born from a traditional manufacture. It is a product with a unique texture and a gourmet taste. At breakfast, it is what will wait for your toast.
Origin
Charentes
France
Lorraine, Burgundy, Limousin
Jura
Flowered flowers
Mountain flowers
Mountain flowers
Firn, acacia, mulberry
Mountain flowers
Taste
Fruity and vegetal
Fruity
Strong, fruity
Caramel
Texture
Liquid
Creamy
Creamy
Creamy
Volume
375 g
250 g
3x250 g
170 g

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Buying guide - French honey

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How to choose your French honey

Before choosing your honey, you must take into account the origin, the variety, the composition, the AB logo, but also the solidity.

#1 - The origin

The origin is, without a doubt, the first criterion to consider when choosing honey. Indeed, you must know the origin of the honey before buying it.
French beekeepers are known for their affection for their profession and the satisfaction of their customers. Thus, you can be sure to have a very good quality honey as soon as you see a French label. In fact, imported products are often the result of intensive breeding, which is by no means the case for beekeepers in the UK.

#2 - The variety

First, you must understand that honey can vary depending on the nectar of the flowers harvested by the bees. This is much more a matter of personal taste than a difference in quality. Indeed, what is meant by variety of honey is the variety of the flower collected.
You then have a wide choice of quality products. The only difference between the products will remain the variety of the flower that the bees have gathered. It is this variety that will determine the color, granulation and aromas of the final product.

#3 - The composition

Honey is a nectar that results solely from the work of the queen's workers. Thus, the only intervention that man would normally do remains collection, purification and packaging.
However, some manufacturers, concerned only with quantity, cut the honey with water or glucose syrup. This process has an impact not only on the quality of the product, but also on its durability and conservation. It is therefore essential to check the composition of the honey before buying it.

#4 - The AB logo

The AB logo, for those who don't know, is a standard that defines the quality of honey. This standard guarantees that the bees have in no case received antibiotic treatment. It is also proof that they have only gathered wild flowers, like sunflowers for example.
This logo is normally very visible on honey packages. Make sure you have this logo before you buy a jar. Most jars of honey that do not have this logo are imported from another country.

#5 - The solidity

Although the harvest is always in liquid form, all pure honeys solidify over time. Some reach a solid state after only a few weeks, while some solidify after a few months, such as acacia or chestnut.
The variety of this phenomenon depends on the proportion of sugars in the honey, especially fructose and glucose. The only variety of honey that never reaches the solid state over time are those that have passed through honey pot plants. Indeed, industrial honeys are almost all mixed with water and various sugars.

Precaution of use of honey

Never heat honey

We tend to heat honey to soften it or make it liquid. However, it is strongly advised not to heat it to more than 35°. The toxin produced from honey can cause digestive problems. If you need to soften the honey, prepare hot water at 25° and make a water bath.

No honey before 1 year

A child under one year old is very sensitive. There are certain foods to avoid such as honey. This natural product causes a rare illness in babies. Spores of a bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum are found in dust, in some soils, but also in honey. Honey can cause the disease of infantile botulism, it attacks directly the nervous system of the child. The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety has declared that "it is absolutely not recommended to give honey, whatever its origin, to infants under one year of age".

No honey before going to bed

Compared to sugar, honey is quite high in calories. It is 64 calories per tablespoon. While honey will benefit you while dieting, it will not be good for you to consume it before bedtime. The calories in honey can build up in the body in a long term consumption practice before bedtime and cause diabetes.

The different types of French honeys

As far as honey is concerned, we can distinguish monofloral honey and polyfloral honey.

Monofloral honeys

It is a category of honey whose taste evokes the particularity of a flower from which each one comes. Each taste is therefore different from the other. But not only, monofloral honeys also have a more or less unique color and texture.
Acacia honey, for example, has a blond color and a very liquid texture. As for the taste, you will experience a delicate tea-like flavor. As a second example, you have rosemary honey, which, on the other hand, is yellowish and has a rather fruity flavor.

Polyfloral honeys

This category of honey is called by the way they are grown. For example, you can meet what is called "mountain honey", which come from the flowers of meadows in altitude. These honeys thus have a taste mixed between different flowers with a rather pronounced taste and a color that can vary between brown and whitish.
You may also come across what is called "all-flower honey". It is a honey harvested at the end of each season and whose culture was spread over several flowerings. The taste of this honey can vary enormously because of the large number of flowers from which it comes, as well as the color.

Honey or sugar?

The honey

Honey is a natural product produced by bees from flowers. It has many benefits and can even be used as a cough potion. In 100 g of honey, you can find about 300 calories, 82 g of sugar, 17 g of water and 1 g of macro and micronutrients.
Heated honey is not good to consume. Indeed, once heated, honey produces toxins that make it more difficult to digest causing digestive disorders.

The sugar

Sugar is a product often made from sugar cane. It is an essential element in the design of a pastry. The addition of sugar to the pastry during its conception gives the taste, but also the gilding. Sugar consumption is not recommended if you are on a diet. Sugar is slow to digest, so it accumulates more easily and is synonymous with extra fat.

Verdict

If you are on a diet or just want to have a healthy body, don't hesitate to take 1 spoon of honey in your tea or coffee every morning. In case you like to bake, the use of sugar is more suitable.

The benefits of French honey

Honey strengthens the immune system

Honey is a natural anti-bacterial. It prevents bacteria infiltrated in the body from multiplying and settling. If you have ear infections, sore throats or diarrhea, take a spoonful of honey with each meal, add it to your tea or yogurt, and you will see the big difference. In fact, honey contains a natural antibiotic that helps a lot with infections.

It helps to tenderize the meat

Indeed, honey tenderizes meat but to a small degree. It does not have the capacity to integrate into the meat to have a very tender meat. However, honey gives a golden and delicious aspect to the meat.

To have the skin rehydrated

Take 2 tablespoons of honey and mix it with olive oil. Use this preparation during bath (apply directly on the skin) and then rinse or wash with soap. Your skin will become softer and perfectly rehydrated.

Goodbye blackheads

Honey has the ability to open your facial pores and get rid of annoying blackheads while keeping your skin moisturized. First rinse your face with warm water and then apply the honey directly to your skin. Wait for a few minutes and start to gently massage your face in circular motions. Finally, rinse your face with your usual cleanser. And finally, use cold water to close your pores.

It doesn't make you fat

To keep your figure, reduce your sugar intake. Goodbye to little pleasures like cake, chocolate and... No, honey is not on the list of products to ban. Why not? The sugar in honey is quickly digested. However, it contains more carbohydrates than sugar, so be careful with the dosage.

The best brands of French honeys

In our opinion, the best brands of French honeys in 2022 are :

Lune de miel
Hédène
Miel Martine
Les Miels de Joyeuse
Miel in the UK

Lune de miel is a French brand created by Yves Michaud in 1958. Today, the production of honey is still perpetuated in the Michaud family. Pure and natural, this brand highlights the quality of French honey.

The Hédène brand offers honey in different forms and textures. It offers honey from all angles, to be consumed at any time of the day.

Miel Martine makes its appearance in Château La Martinette in Provence. Its production brings together craftsmanship and technicality, a responsible and sustainable approach and plays in the preservation of bees.

The products offered by Miels de Joyeuse are specially chosen with a unique approach. The honey harvested by this brand comes from an area free of intensive cultivation.

This brand aims to sell honey and products of French beekeeping throughout France. Its goal is to promote 100% French products.

What is the price for a French honey

The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).

However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.

We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.

Entry-level
3 £ to 15 £
Mid-range
15 £ to 35 £
High-end
more than 35 £
Price range diagram

Tips

In cooking, try the honey-mustard combination

The union between honey and mustard is still an unknown concept to everyone. However, it is a perfect alliance to put a new flavor in your dishes. In particular, it is the ideal marriage to spice up your filet mignon.

A dark honey is a strong tasting honey

Let's take chestnut honey and lavender honey as an example. The first has a rather white color with a very creamy texture and a fruity taste. The second, on the other hand, is darker, almost brown, with a rather strong taste and a touch of bitterness. As you will have noticed, the darker the color, the stronger the taste.

A natural remedy for burns

Did you know that light burns can be healed with honey? First, run the wound under cold water for a few minutes. Then, dry the wound gently. All that remains is to apply lavender, thyme or manuka honey. Don't forget to put on a bandage to protect the burned area.

A natural remedy for cholesterol

Cholesterol is a major problem that no one should take lightly. If you feel that your cholesterol level is high, consider opting for honey. The process is simple: replace the sugar in your daily diet with honey.

A natural remedy for sore throats

First, boil half a cup of water in a saucepan. You can already put a spoonful of honey and lemon juice in a cup. Mix it all together and drink it while it is hot. You can also add ginger if you can stand the taste a little spicy.

FAQ

How to treat a sinusitis with honey?

All you need is a teaspoon of honey and a glass of warm water. Dilute the honey in the water and stir for a few seconds. Take this unique tasting medicine three times a day and every day until you no longer feel the symptoms.

Does honey make you fat?

Nutritionists tend to advise replacing sugar with honey. In fact, the reason is that honey has a high sweetening power. When preparing a dish requires 150 grams of sugar, 100 grams of honey is enough. The calorie count is already reduced, which is the same as saying that sugar is more fattening than honey.

Why does honey crystallize?

Honey is always made liquid and always harvested liquid. Crystals develop in the fluid over time, transforming its liquid texture. The phenomenon of crystallization is completely natural and is even the proof that honey is pure. Indeed, the only honeys that do not crystallize are those that have been modified or mixed with other substances.

How to obtain a monofloral honey?

The concept of monofloral honey is, as its name indicates, the obtaining of a honey made up of the nectar of a single flower. The most known and used monofloral honey remains the sunflower honey. The honeys harvested from rare flowers are produced in smaller quantities.

Sources

Note: Below are some of the sources we have consulted in writing this article. Links to other sites are not continuously updated. It is therefore possible that a link may not be found. Please use a search engine to find the desired information.
  1. Honey - Buying guide, Que choisir
  2. Buying guide to choose your honey, Miel & vertus
  3. Honey fraud : how to be sure to choose the right one?, Femme actuelle
  4. Honey as a friend or enemy of your figure : does honey make you fat?, Secrets de miel
  5. Crystallized honey : why does my honey become granular?, La reine des vosges
  6. Honey crystallization: why does a liquid honey become hard, Apiculture.net
  7. Monofloral honeys or raw honeys, Miels d'Anicet
  8. All you need to know about monofloral honeys, Les ruchers du Tigou
  9. The best French honeys, Guide du miel
  10. Online sale of Honey from France - HONEY in the UK, Apiculture.net
  11. Repopulation honeys made in the UK - Bleu Blanc Ruche, mielinfrance.fr
  12. Honey, 22 honeys from France for all tastes | Le Rucher ..., bleu-blanc-ruche.fr
  13. Honey BIO artisanal honey from France on sale | Francis Miot, miel-lerucherdelours.fr
  14. French honey sale of artisanal production. Honey from ..., francis-miot.com
  15. French Organic Honey - Direct from the beekeepers - The ..., delicesdesabeilles.fr
  16. BRAND ORGANIC HONEY : French Organic Honey - DIRECT PURCHASE ..., laplateformedumiel.fr
  17. Honey from France - Cold extracted honey - Purchase / Sale ..., terrapis.fr
  18. Miel-Direct : honeys, royal jelly and propolis on sale ..., jemangefrancais.com
  19. Home - Vacher Family, miel-direct.fr
  20. MIEL in the UK : French honey and royal jelly for sale, famillevacher.fr
  21. French honey by Miel Factory - Miel Factory, mielinfrance.fr
  22. Your French honey direct from the beekeepers - The ..., miel-factory.com
  23. Organic honeys, herbal teas, natural care | ♥ Producer France, laplateformedumiel.fr
  24. Honey - Buying guide - UFC-Que Choisir, terrapis.fr
  25. Honey House - Selections of the best honeys from France ..., quechoisir.org
  26. Honey Producer, Honey Harvested in the UK - Laruchemartin, maisondumiel.fr
  27. Honey from France - Authentic and tasty | Mary Family, laruchemartin.fr
  28. Honey - French Honey, famillemary.fr
  29. Sale of French honey by the producer|The Queen of the Vosges, mielfrancais.fr
  30. Sale of honey directly from the beekeeper : Api'Luberon, Honey from France, lerucherlareinedesvosges.fr
  31. Welcome to Miele - Immer besser (always better), api-luberon.fr
  32. , miele.fr
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Updates

March 2022 : Translation of this buying guide from our partner meilleurtest.fr

See more
Our selection
Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes 9
Les Compagnons Du Miel : Honey from Charentes
Honeymoon : Tartimiel 10
Honeymoon : Tartimiel
Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys 11
Hédène : Discovery pack, exceptional honeys
Hédène : Jura mountain honey 12
Hédène : Jura mountain honey

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