Journal · Kitchen notes · 3 min
Why your honey set in the jar, and how to fix it
Solid honey is not old honey. Granulation is what raw honey does, and twenty minutes in warm water puts it right.
A jar that has gone solid in the cupboard is the most common email we get in winter. Nothing is wrong with it.
What is happening
Honey is a supersaturated solution of sugars in water. Over time, glucose crystallises out of it. Honey that is high in glucose, like rape and clover, sets within weeks; honey high in fructose, like lime, can stay runny for a year.
Supermarket honey stays clear because it has been heated and fine-filtered to remove the pollen grains crystals grow on. Ours has not.
How to make it run again
Stand the closed jar in a bowl of warm water, around 40 °C (comfortable to your hand), for twenty minutes. Stir, and repeat if needed. Never microwave it: hot spots cook the honey and kill the smell.
When not to bother
Our soft-set spring honey is set on purpose and will not go back. Heather sets to a jelly and should stay that way. Both are exactly as they should be.
