Today I had honey on my toast. Seems the norm right? For me honey is an essential part of my breakfast, a spoonful even goes into my English breakfast for that healthy sweetness. With a global focus on the bee crisis and the rapid decline in their population, my eyes were first and foremost drawn to this book, ‘Manuka – the biography of an extraordinary honey’.
Where does that honey come from? Why is Manuka so god-damn expensive, yet sooooo good?! Coming from a student who has a taste pallet she can’t afford, I was curious to learn more about the fore comings of the special honey’s success.
This auto-biography is written in a manner that all people can read with interest. Cliff Van Eaton intended for it to feel like a “good Kiwi yarn”. What a bloke. Fortunately for me, by disserting himself from scientific jargon and smart person stuff I was able to happily chug my way through and in doing so have come out with a fresh new perspective on the history, process and the bees that all contribute the Manuka honey we have today.
This story captures the remarkable ‘rags-to-riches’ road of Manuka Honey, and how it became one of the most sought after natural products in the world.
From it’s medical qualities to it’s impeccable taste, this book was not just made for beekeepers, or scientists… It was made for me, you and the general population who enjoys that odd dollop of sticky sweet honey.
