Blackbutt Honey

Blackbutt honey is one for cooking. It comes from Eucalyptus patens, the tall, straight blackbutt of the south-west forests, which flowers when it chooses, so the size of each harvest is up to the trees. In the jar it is a warm gold. The maker's tasting notes mention toffee and spice, and it finishes dry rather than leaving a lingering sweetness. The maker also says heat doesn't flatten its flavour.

South West Honey is Ryan and Steve's business. The brothers began keeping bees on weekends and turned it into a business in 2017. Their hives now number in the hundreds, set in native forest around Pemberton, Western Australia. The honey is extracted cold, below 40°C, and each batch comes from a single area, never blended.

Brush it over carrots and parsnips for the last minutes of roasting, or over a ham at Christmas.

Good to know

• Single floral source: blackbutt blossom
• From forest in the Pemberton region
• 260g jar, with a gift cylinder as an option
• By South West Honey, Pemberton, Western Australia