A Gourmet Christmas Gift Idea: Honey Harvested in Provence

If you are looking for a gourmet Christmas gift idea, a selection of honeys harvested in Provence is a present that can be shared, keeps for a long time and appeals to almost every taste. Depending on the person and your budget, choose the Lavender and Garrigue Duo (€26), the Discovery Box of three honeys (€39) or the Complete Collection of six honeys (€75, free delivery). For delivery in France before Christmas, order before 15 December.

Why give honey in a gourmet Christmas gift box?

A successful gourmet gift is one that gets enjoyed rather than forgotten at the back of a cupboard. Honey fits the bill: it goes with breakfast, the cheeseboard, afternoon tea or festive baking, and it keeps for many months in a dry place, away from heat and light.

Each honey also tells the story of a landscape. Lavender from the plateaus, thyme from the limestone hills, chestnut from the cooler forests: from one jar to the next, the colour, texture and taste change markedly. Giving several honeys side by side means giving a small tasting to enjoy at home.

Each year we select six honeys from partner beekeepers in Provence. They are raw, cold-extracted, never pasteurised or blended, with no added sugar, and packed in 300 g jars. A size that is a pleasure to finish without cluttering the kitchen.

Which honey gift box should you give, and to whom?

The right box depends less on the person than on their relationship with good food: someone who loves mild flavours, a curious palate who enjoys comparing, or a keen cook who will want to try everything. This table helps you find your way.

The Lavender and Garrigue Duo is the most affordable and the easiest to appreciate: two contrasting characters, easy to tell apart. The Discovery Box of three honeys adds thyme honey, amber and powerful, for a trio with more contrast. The Complete Collection of six honeys is for those who love to taste, compare and cook: it brings together lavender, thyme, chestnut, garrigue, mountain and forest. You will find them all in our gourmet Christmas gift boxes section, and if you are still unsure about flavours, our guide which honey to give as a gift describes the profile of each honey.

How do you put together a complete gourmet hamper around honey?

A box of honeys can be enough on its own. It can also become the heart of a more generous gourmet hamper, with a few products that naturally go well with it.

• Cheeses: thyme or garrigue honey with a fresh or matured goat’s cheese; chestnut honey, more robust, with a blue cheese or a characterful tomme.
• A homemade pain d’épices: made a day or two ahead, this French honey spice bread becomes softer and travels well. Our honey pain d’épices recipe uses chestnut honey; a few carefully wrapped slices make a lovely addition to the gift box.
• Tea or herbal infusions: a black tea or lemon verbena with lavender honey, a thyme and lemon infusion with thyme honey. Add the honey once the drink has cooled a little, to better preserve its aromas.
• Dried fruit and nuts: walnuts, almonds, dried figs or apricots, to dip in honey at the end of a meal.
• A wooden honey dipper: a small, practical object that invites you to open the jar straight away.

What budget should you plan for a gourmet Christmas gift?

Allow €13 to €15 for a single jar, €26 to €39 for a duo or a trio, and €75 for the complete collection. Colissimo delivery in France costs €6.90 to €10.90 to a pickup point, €9.90 to €13.90 to your door, and is free on orders of €50 or more: a Discovery Box with an extra jar, or two Duos, takes you over this threshold. The Complete Collection is always delivered free of charge.

In the European Union, delivery costs from €15.90 and is free on orders of €150 or more; to Switzerland, it costs from €19.90. Grouping several gifts in a single order is therefore often better value.

Can the gift box be delivered directly to the recipient?

Yes. Several options make sending a gift easier:

• delivery to an address other than your own, given when you order;
• a personal message, written in the order notes, which we copy onto a card slipped into the parcel;
• the invoice removed from the parcel on request, so that the price does not appear;
• collection by appointment in Aix-en-Provence, if you prefer to hand over the box in person.

If a jar arrives broken, it is replaced or refunded. For unopened jars, you also have a 14-day cooling-off period.

Corporate gifts: how do you order gift boxes in volume?

Hotels, delicatessens and companies can give our gift boxes to their clients, their partners or their teams. For these volume orders, we provide a quotation within 48 hours. We can prepare cards in your colours and arrange multiple deliveries, sent directly to each recipient.

The simplest way is to write to us via the contact page, stating the number of boxes you would like, the honeys or boxes you are interested in, and the date by which the gifts must be delivered. For Christmas, a request made as early as November leaves time to prepare each shipment without rushing.

How late can you order to receive your gift box before Christmas?

For delivery in France before Christmas, order before 15 December, and earlier for the rest of Europe. Orders are dispatched within 2 to 3 working days from Aix-en-Provence; transit time then depends on the carrier, and it often lengthens in December, when parcel volumes are at their highest.

For a corporate gift or a delivery to several addresses, allow extra time. And if the date is getting close, collection by appointment in Aix-en-Provence remains an option to discuss with us.