WELL-heeled shoppers are snapping up honey from posh store Harrods costing a staggering £750 a jar.
The amber produce from busy bees has risen in popularity in recent years as a growing body of evidence reveals its health benefits.
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But what are the cheaper alternatives to slather on toast, add to porridge or drip into Greek yoghurt?
Lynsey Hope, tried supermarket own brands and rated them with bees out of five.
(454g), £1.75 , 38.5p per 100g
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THE appetising light gold colour looked good but it has a medicinal taste which I wasn’t keen on.
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While most honeys in the test are prone to crystallisation, this one definitely had a crunch and wasn’t as smooth to eat.
It’s not great value for money either, when it’s the same price as better- tasting options.
Rating: 2
Rowse Clear
(340g), £3, 88p per 100g
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THE Rowse brand originated in hives in Oxfordshire – but that’s not where this is from.
The jar simply says it’s a blend of honeys from more than one country.
With its warm amber colour, this has a flavour of mild caramel and fruit.
While it tastes good, it is pricey compared to the others and you get less.
Rating: 4
Aldi Grandessa Clear
(454g), £1.45, 32p per 100g
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AS you’d expect, this comes with a low price tag but there is no explanation about where the honey is from – except that it is a “blend of honeys from more than one country”.
Thick and velvety, it was less sweet, which I found a plus.
Budget-friendly honey is perfect to spread on your toast.
Rating: 5
(454g), £1.75, 38.5p per 100g
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QUITE runny compared to the others, this was very sweet and was more like golden syrup.
It has one of the highest sugar contents with 12.1g per 15g tablespoon.
It had a sweet aroma and lovely deep amber colour. It is competitive on price and nicely packaged.
If you’re on a tight budget, it’s the one for you.
Rating: 3
(454g), £2.10, 46.3p per 100g
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WHILE this is more expensive, it tasted and looked like a premium brand.
A clear, gold colour, it had more flavour than the lighter, cheaper varieties.
It’s blended using honey from a mix of non-EU countries so it might not have top-of-the-range pedigree but for a cheaper, everyday jar, this is great.
Rating: 4
Lidl Highgate Fayre Runny
(454g), £1.45, 29p per 100g
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FOR a cheap jar, this honey hit the spot.
It had a lovely depth of flavour and richness to it.
It was very amber in colour and there was a bit of crystallisation, but I didn’t mind the slight crunch.
It’s one of the cheapest you can buy, so if you are simply using this as a sweetener, it’s not a bad choice.
Rating: 3
(454g), £1.75, 38.5p per 100g
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THIS was the sweetest-tasting of all the own brands.
With 12.2g of sugar per tablespoon, this Tesco offering was nicely syrupy.
On the down side, it was slightly watery and didn’t quite have the texture you would imagine.
On the plus side, it was one of the easiest jars to open.
Rating: 3
Asda Pure Clear
(454g), £1.75, 38.5p per 100g
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QUITE runny and sickly sweet, which I thought gave it an unpleasant, artificial taste.
This was more like sugar syrup – but it is good value for money, so if you get through a lot and if you mix it into stuff, perhaps it wouldn’t taste too bad.
It was very orange compared to the others.
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I also found the jar tricky to open.
Rating: 2
