Manuka honey is nectar obtained the Tea Tree Leptospermum scopariumor, a scrub plant, native to Australia and New Zealand. The suggested medicinal properties for all honey are widely reported and there is some evidence to suggest that manuka provides nectar which is very rich and, as a consequence, is right at the top of the league table. However the difference between it and a locally produced honey anywhere on the planet could be at best marginal. Not least because the manuka will have been processed, which may include pasteurisation to comply with import / export regulations and microfiltration to remove pollen. Many manuka honeys only contain part honey. There are one or two plantations in the UK offering British manuka honey from Devon and Wales. Neither these, nor the genuine article from New Zealand, can be described as local to Epping Forest.