no longer available
260 grams (9.17 ounces) - Pyrenees, France

Chestnut honey (Miel de Chataignier) is a distinctively dark horse in the honey race. (Okay, so it's a verrryy slooowww race). It has a pronounced bite to it, with just a trace of bitterness. It can be difficult to pair it with sweets, but it lends itself perfectly to savory foods. A roasted chicken with fresh herbs, salt and pepper gets all the more inviting with a tangy sheen of chestnut honey.

It can take on the more assertive cheeses like pecorino and parmesan, and so makes a great accompaniment to a mixed plate of crackers, cheese and pickled vegetables. Among chestnut honeys, this is in a category of its own-it has an amazingly true, resonant flavor that does not cook out. <

about the producer

Mielle Envies de Miel from Pascal Verriere, apiculteur (apiarist, or bee-keeper) from Ariege region in the south of France, these honeys are produced in the pollution-free zones of the Pyrenees. The bees are happy buzzers in the chemical and pesticide-free mountains, and are not fed artificially during the winter-a very common practice among less scrupulous honey-makers.

Before you take one bite, try saying "apiarist from Ariege" just once. After you sample these astonishing honeys, you won't be able to say more than "mmmmmm....."