Learn
This page is a place to better understand honey — how it’s made, how to recognise purity, and why the way honey is handled matters.
Here we share clear, honest information to help you make informed choices, whether you’re new to raw honey or simply want to know more about what’s in the jar.
Understanding Honey
Honey begins with bees collecting nectar from flowering plants. Inside the hive, that nectar is passed between bees, gently transformed through natural enzymes, and stored in honeycomb cells where excess moisture is reduced. Once the honey reaches the right balance, the cells are sealed — preserving it naturally.
True honey is a single-ingredient food. It doesn’t require additives, preservatives, or processing to remain stable. Its flavour, colour, and texture vary depending on the plants the bees forage on, the season, and the region — which is why no two honeys are ever exactly the same.
Crystallisation is also a natural part of honey’s life cycle. Over time, the sugars in honey form crystals, causing it to thicken or solidify. This doesn’t mean the honey has spoiled or been altered — it’s simply honey behaving as nature intended.
Understanding these basics helps explain why real honey looks, tastes, and behaves differently from mass-produced alternatives.
Creamed Honey Explained
Creamed honey is simply honey that has been carefully guided to crystallise in a smooth, spreadable way. It’s still 100% honey — no cream, no dairy, and no additives. The difference lies in how the natural crystallisation process is controlled.
By encouraging very fine crystals to form evenly throughout the honey, the texture becomes soft and stable rather than coarse or gritty. This makes creamed honey easy to spread, less messy to use, and consistent in texture over time.
Importantly, creamed honey retains the same nutritional properties as raw honey. The flavour, colour, and aroma still reflect the plants the bees foraged on — only the texture has changed. It’s a natural process that prioritises usability without compromising purity.
For people who enjoy the benefits of raw honey but prefer a smoother texture, creamed honey offers the best of both worlds.
Purity, Testing & Transparency
Pure honey should be exactly what it claims to be: honey, and nothing else. Because honey is often diluted, blended, or mislabelled, testing and transparency play an important role in ensuring authenticity.
At Southern Gold, every batch of honey is tested to verify that it is genuine and unadulterated. This helps confirm that the honey has not been diluted with sugar syrups or altered through excessive processing.
Testing allows us to stand behind what we say — and gives our customers confidence in what they’re buying. Beyond testing, transparency matters just as much. We work directly with local beekeepers, know the origin of our honey, and avoid blending or importing honey from unknown sources. What’s on the label reflects what’s inside the jar, without shortcuts or hidden ingredients.
Understanding how honey is tested and traced helps explain why not all honey is equal — and why trust is built through openness, not claims alone.
How We Handle Our Honey
How honey is handled after it leaves the hive plays a significant role in its final quality.
Heat, filtration, and speed can all affect honey’s natural enzymes, flavour, and character. At Southern Gold, honey is handled with restraint. Batches are gently warmed only when necessary and never rushed through aggressive processing. This careful approach helps preserve the honey’s natural properties while allowing it to be filtered and bottled with minimal intervention.
By working slowly and intentionally, we allow the honey to retain its integrity — keeping it as close as possible to how it was when it left the hive. The result is honey that reflects its origin, its season, and the care taken throughout the process.
Explore Further
If you’d like to go deeper, the articles below explore honey, purity, and sustainability in more detail — offering clear explanations and thoughtful perspectives beyond the basics.
What Exactly Is Creamed Honey?
