Complimentary UK delivery on orders over £35
AccountWishlistBasket0

How to use & care

INESS Polyfloral Honey – How to Use, Store & Decrystallise

Polyfloral honey is blossom honey from more than one nectar source. Colour, aroma and texture shift with the forage. That variation is expected. This guide is for every jar size of INESS polyfloral honey — the care is the same; only the weight on the label changes.

Shop this honey

What is polyfloral honey?

In UK law, honey obtained from the nectar of plants is blossom honey, also called nectar honey. Polyfloral honey is blossom honey whose nectar comes from several plants rather than a single named crop.

Bees gather nectar, transform it with substances of their own, and leave it in the comb to ripen. What you taste is that ripe honey, not a flavouring added afterwards.

Why can the colour, aroma and texture vary?

UK honey rules state that colour ranges from nearly colourless to dark brown, and that flavour and aroma are derived from plant origin. The British Beekeepers Association likewise notes that honey colour and flavour depend on the flowers the bees visit.

A mixed forage changes through the season. One packing may be paler or more aromatic than another. That is a mark of an unblended natural food, not a defect.

Natural crystallisation

The same rules describe honey as fluid, viscous, or partly or entirely crystallised. Crystallisation is a normal physical state of honey, not a sign that it is old, spoiled or adulterated.

You can eat polyfloral honey in a set or creamy state. There is no need to return it to liquid unless you prefer it poured.

Why does honey crystallise?

Honey is a concentrated sugar solution, mostly fructose and glucose. Glucose can come out of solution as crystals. How quickly that happens depends on the nectar mix, the amount of glucose relative to water, temperature, and small particles that give crystals a place to start.

Polyfloral jars therefore do not all set at the same speed. A darker, later forage may stay pourable longer than a paler one.

How to gently decrystallise honey

If you want a liquid jar, warm it gently. UK honey rules require that honey must not be heated in such a way that its natural enzymes are destroyed or significantly inactivated. Gentle warming is enough.

  1. 1Stand the closed jar in a bowl of warm water — not boiling, and not on the hob.
  2. 2Let the warmth travel through the glass. Stir if you can do so cleanly, then return the lid.
  3. 3Change the water if it cools, and stop when the honey is as liquid as you want it.
  4. 4Do not boil the jar, and do not use an oven or microwave. Excess heat dulls aroma and is the opposite of careful packing.

How to store honey

Keep the jar closed, at room temperature, away from direct sun and the hob. Do not refrigerate: cold speeds crystallisation and moisture on a cold jar is unhelpful.

A dry cupboard is enough. Always use a clean, dry spoon so you do not introduce water into the honey.

Ways to enjoy honey

Honey is a food. Spread it on bread, stir it into yoghurt or porridge once the bowl has left the boil, or take it from the spoon.

If you add it to a hot drink, let the cup cool a little first so you are not pouring boiling liquid over the honey.

Important food safety information

  • Do not give honey to babies under 12 months. The NHS advises that honey can occasionally contain bacteria that cause infant botulism, a rare but serious illness.
  • Honey is a sugar. That is another reason the NHS recommends waiting until after the first year.
  • This honey is sold as food. It is not a medicine, and it is not offered as a treatment, cure or preventative for any disease.
  • If a jar arrives leaking or damaged, do not use it. Contact us with the order reference and a photograph.

Sources & further information

The notes above follow these published sources. Each link opens the original page in a new tab.

INESS Polyfloral Honey – How to Use, Store & Decrystallise | INESS