Christmas Bush Honey

Bursaria Spinosa or the Christmas Bush doesn't get its name because it flowers at Christmas, rather the name is due to its white star shaped flowers - now you might be asking what this has to do with food, well, this post is about the honey that is made from the nectar of those flowers.




The white flowers form part of the decoration on this can of Christmas Bush Honey - it's produced in Tasmania by the Tasmanian Honey Company. It is hard to find since not much of this honey is made, so if you see it especially at this time of the year,  you might just want to take the opportunity to grab it.

As the honey is heat sensitive it is packed in the tins, raw and unheated - they do warn you that you may find pieces of  beeswax in the honey.




As you can see, it is a thick honey with caramel like colouring and consistency, it looks a bit like Dulce de leche. Taste-wise, it is very creamy and the flavour lingers in the mouth - with subtle marzipan notes it's not overpowering or harsh.

To soften, just place what you'd like to use in a heat proof vessel and let it sit in a hot water bath until it reaches the desired consistency.