Shoppers make a bee-line for honey as healthy image creates a buzz

It has overtaken marmalade as the second-biggest seller in the sweet spread market Jam, the firm favourite, is sticking solidly in first place.

But those stocking up on honey aren't necessarily slathering it on their toast.

They are swallowing it by the spoonful for sore throats, drizzling it on their morning porridge for energy and stirring it into recipes and drinks.

Manuka honey, a New Zealand variety, is enjoying a renaissance of its own. It is said to have antibacterial properties that can be used to treat everything from skin conditions to digestive disorders.

There are also suggestions that eating certain types of honey can ease hayfever.

Traces of pollen in the honey can apparently help desensitise a sufferer to the allergens carried on the wind.

Although honey is just as calorific and harmful to teeth as processed sugars, jams and marmalades, its natural properties make it more appealing to those concerned about additives and chemicals in food.

Retail analysts at Mintel say sales have risen by 14 per cent in the past two years to £67million, which is just over a quarter of the market.

Jam remains top with 35 per cent and sales of £ 89million, while marmalade is third with sales of £52million.

Its market share has fallen from 31 per cent to 21 per cent in the last two years. Peanut butter and chocolate spreads also saw minor falls. 'Honey sales have done particularly well in recent years, as it has successfully highlighted its all-natural credentials, making the most of Britain's recent obsession with all things natural and organic,' said Mintel senior market analyst Julie Sloan.

'Manuka honey, which has been heralded as a superfood because of its health benefits, has also undoubtedly helped to boost sales.

'Honey has many positive health benefits, some of which could be developed into other sectors by adding ingredients such as ginseng for improved brain activity or guarani for energy, providing an added incentive for first thing in the morning.'

Honey has other winning characteristics.

For example, the small locally produced brands offer an infinite variety of flavours depending on what flowers and nectar the bees have been feeding on.

The growing popularity of porridge has also helped honey take its place at the breakfast table.

'Marmalades have often highlighted

low- sugar content, but today people are less interested in what has been taken away and more interested in added value or all natural products with premium ingredients,' Miss Sloan said.

Honey has been used since ancient times as a food, medicine and beauty treatment. Honey results from the chemical reaction in the saliva of bees as they interact with nectar collected from flowers.

Apiculture, the practice of beekeeping to produce honey, dates back to at least 700 BC.

Honey has been used as an antiseptic therapeutic agent for the treatment of ulcers, burns and wounds. It also contains various micro-nutrients said to help prevent some cancers.

s.poulter@dailymail.couk