Nelson Honey - New Zealand

Only found in the South Island of New Zealand, this beautiful, dark, tangy flavoured honey comes from the Beech Tree which harbour a little insect inside their black ripply bark. This insect puts out a little white frond with a dew drop on the end which has a sweet taste and is popular with bees, wasps and birds. In earlier years beekeepers used this honey as feed for their bees, as it was not thought to be a true nectar. However it was popular in Germany about 10 years ago and is now popular everywhere and is sought after for its recently discovered properties aiding digestion.

Recent research has found that this honey contains Oligosaccharides which assist the growth of good bacteria in the intestine which has a population of about 100 trillion intestinal bacteria, some beneficial, and some potentially harmful. How well the digestive system functions depends on the balance between the two. Even with a healthy diet the balance can easily be upset - by stress, antibiotics, over-indulgence, or the natural ageing process.

Oligosaccharides survive the journey through the stomach and have a unique effect which strengthens the good bacteria and promotes a healthy and comfortable digestive tract thus avoiding colitis and other bowel diseases. Pleasant to take it has a texture like golden syrup and is delicious with plain yoghurt, on toast, in drinks, or in muesli, or just on your cereal each morning.