Honey was the first sweetener, predating sugar by hundreds of years. But as well as its noted culinary uses, honey has long been valued in folk remedies for its unique properties. This new book presents in one special volume not only a fascinating history of one of our most ancient ingredients but an exhaustive guide to the many amazing and beneficial uses of honey in the home.

Honey has a prestigious past: so highly was it valued in medieval times it was even used as a form of currency. References to honey occur in ancient writings of Egypt and Turkey, and also in the Bible. It has been associated with religious ceremonies, festivals, funerals and marriages, and it is significant in many religions as a positive symbol of sweetness.

Honey has been found to have unique medicinal properties - it is effective for healing wounds and burns, for soothing pain, for digestion, as an antiseptic and anti-ulcer agent, an anti-fungal treatment and a sleep-inducing aid. Honey is believed to be anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, helping conditions such as conjunctivitis, sinusitis and sore throat.

Honey is also a wonderfully nutritious and scented ingredient in beauty preparations, many of which you can make at home in the form of soaps, scrubs, facepacks and moisturizing creams. And last but not least, it is of course a hugely popular culinary ingredient and preservative, adding distinctive flavour as well as sweetness to cakes, pastries, biscuits, jams and chutneys, marinades and dressings, and sweet and savoury sauces.

This irresistible volume explores all the many properties and uses of honey in the home. Combining history, a guide to the different types, recipes, household uses, medicinal preparations and beauty treatments, it demonstrates the amazing versatility of honey. Beautifully illustrated with 200 colour photographs and artworks, this is a delightful sourcebook of ideas you will turn to time and again.