Wines from France have their appellation and their terroir. So do honeys, at least from one Catalan producer, whose small sales handout emerges as a wallet is emptied. The same producer, many years ago changed his splendid hymn to honey because, he said, the law in France no longer allowed one to claim medicinal properties for his lovely gift. "Our way of working allows us to harvest honey of an exceptional quality. We select suitable zones that bring us as far as possible from any agricultural activity, and thus we can guarantee the honeys from wild flowers. "(He operates in the foothills of the Pyrenees.)
"We choose the areas which give us the best produce; land rich in the flora of a generous Mediterranean, which releases into the honey its delicate and subtle aroma. The place of harvesting is always indicated on the pot. We do not heat or otherwise tamper with our honeys, so as not to destroy those fragile ingredients which are so beneficial to our organisms, and which ensures that honey is not just a simple nutriment."
He goes on to say that their honeys are not mixed around by mechanical devices, but filtered through linen to preserve their good flavour. "Come and rediscover authentic honey, the same as our grandmother used to give us at breakfast." Our own honeys are splendid, though probably not all could claim to be produced far from cultivated, farmed land, yet much heather honey should fall into that category. And a man who lives within striking distance of mountains of five and six thousand feet, mountains which goats find hard to climb in places, has at least a good propaganda advantage over rivals. "It's just sugar," says the Doctor, impatiently. But sugar with a good, clean, story to tell. And, in this case, a passion that goes beyond simple merchandising, a poetic view of life, you could say.
And THEN, and then, with the above already typed out, and driving in the car, you switch in to Mooney Goes Wild on Sunday afternoon, and just hear, with some interruption, and not all of it, that at a world honey show in London Ireland gained 67 or 65 prizes. Notably Redmond Williams of Tipperary, with 25 prizes on his own. Graham Hall and Dan Deasy of the County Dublin Beekeepers confirm this and say that full details will be available in a few weeks. We'll have to hear more about these great achievers.