Honey is ‘manufactured’ in one of the world’s most efficient factories, the beehive, with bees travelling as far as 55,000 miles and visiting more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a half kilo of honey.
Not only does it taste good on toast, but honey is a wonderful beauty aid that nourishes the skin and the hair. It acts as an antibacterial and anti-fungal agent and helps disinfect and speed the healing process in wounds, scrapes and burns.
If you mix honey with ground almonds it makes an excellent facial cleansing scrub. A tablespoon of honey whisked with an egg white, I teaspoon of glycerine and about ? cup of flour makes and excellent firming mask. Just smooth on the face, leave on 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water. You’ll love the results.
Give your hair a lustrous shine, mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 4 cups of warm water and use as a hair rinse. If you have blonde hair add the juice of 1 lemon. You can also use it as a mouthwash. Honey cleans teeth and dentures and kills germs in the mouth. Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with a cup of warm water.
Here are seven widely available in Cyprus
Carrefour
A lovely light honey, fine and creamy with a harmonious composition of tropical flowers that is suitable for all sweetening purposes. There is definitely a distinct smell and flavour of springtime flowers. Like most Carrefour products, it is very reasonably priced.
Price: £1.64 for 450g
Rating: 8
Orino Thyme
This is a honey from the mountains and mountain honey has a distinct flavour and scent of its own. It is light in colour but very strong on flavour. It is clear and very perfumed with a multi-aroma. If you’ve got a cold add a tablespoonful to a good measure of whisky and have it as a night drink. You’ll wake up in the morning all the better for it.
Price: £3.30 for 400g
Rating: 7
Blossom
This is a blended honey mixed from different countries. Being a blended honey, it’s slightly darker colour but not a true dark honey. However this doesn’t detract from its strong fruity flavour.
Price: £1.68 for 400g
Rating: 7
Fino
This is a Greek forest honey with a lovely scented distinct flavour. It reminds me of the honey from tiny heather flowers. It is clear and very perfumed and very moreish.
Price: £3.14 for 417g
Rating: 8
Mavroudes
A dark, mineral-rich, sophisticated honey probably from dense woodlands and lower meadowlands. It is creamy and thick and is refreshing to taste with a slight granular texture.
Price: £1.29 for 350g
Rating: 6
Morphakis
Another dark honey, which is delicately fragrant but has a very distinct flavour. It has a refreshing taste you can almost taste the lush green forest.
Price: £1.29 for 330g
Rating: 7
Cyprus Honey Katerina Prasia
This has a distinctively exciting taste which will satisfy the honey connoisseur. It tastes as if it is collected from the natural forest and flower source. It melts in your mouth leaving a distinctly unique sweet taste. (Tel: 26 653763)
Price: £4 for 1kg
Rating: 8
