The Gift of Honey by Tamsin Harris
Christmas is a fabulous time to share your wonderful honey harvest. Locally produced, uniquely flavoured and always thoroughly appreciated, it's the perfect gift.
So how do you present the perfect gift? There are so many styles of glass jars available that it can sometimes be rather bewildering but why not choose the jar to suit the recipient?
If you are in the lucky position to have a quantity of honey allocated for presents then the perfect jar for Grandad is the 1lb traditional honey jar. An easy to grip large lid and a smooth sided jar means that he can open it easily and run the teaspoon around the bottom to get every last drop. Hopefully he will return it for a refill rather than use it to soak his paintbrushes...
Your sister-in-law will appreciate the 12oz hexagonal jar as it will give a bit of style to the breakfast table and won't look too mean as it's physically as tall as the 1lb jar. When she makes next year's homemade mincemeat you'll be sure to get your jar back!
Aunts and uncles can be a little tricky as you can't be too certain as to whether they like clear or set honey - porridge or toast? The answer would be to give a jar of each, presented in an 8oz hexagonal jar, all bases covered and the duo will be easily shared between the relatives.
Work colleagues will have listened to all your beekeeping trials and tribulations so ideally need a honey reward for their patience and what could be more economical than the 5.5oz hexagonal? You will not be parting with too much of the precious liquid but it will be delightfully presented with a smart gold lid.
Now the Mediterranean style Orcio jars will add a bit of class to your honey with their stylish arched grips and curvy shape. Your foodie friends will appreciate an Orcio jar of walnuts drenched in honey or the 9oz jar with a chunk of honeycomb popped in and topped off with golden honey. The possibilities are endless.
The American Muth jar has a most unattractive name but the corked topped jar is actually a pure delight. Each of the three sizes (1lb, 8oz and 4oz) has a skep hive and the imperial weight moulded onto the side of the tall jar. A cork seals the top with the added safety measure of a shrink wrap band being available. These pouring jars are akin to small bottles and as such lend themselves to a multitude of uses when they are empty; posy vases, sea glass collections, buttons and marbles all look fabulous in the empty jar. Nieces and nephews would be thrilled to receive a Muth jar of honey but I would have thought the likelihood of you receiving the jar back would be very small - unless they want a refill!
A multitude of choices for one fabulous product - produced by the bees and harvested by yourself.
Tamsin Harris