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PGI — Picardy
In the forests of Halatte, Chantilly, Saint-Gobain and Samoussy, wild lime trees yield a rare nectar to bees, from which Picard beekeepers have produced a golden honey with a fresh, slightly minty flavour since the 18th century.
Honey from Picardy, PGI (IGP) since 2025.
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The production of lime honey in Picardie dates back at least to the 18th century: the 1770 Dictionnaire portatif du commerce already mentions this honey under the name of "miel jaune de Picardie", amongst the regional products worthy of recognition. Picard beekeeping is also attested under the Ancien Régime by the "Tableaux du maximum" of several towns across the territory, which listed honey amongst the basic necessities subject to price fixing — including "miel de pays" in Laon, "miel bâtard du district" and "miel blanc" in Soissons, and "miel jaune" and "miel citrin" in Clermont and Montdidier. In the 19th century, the Primes d'honneur reports from regional competitions recorded 43,985 active hives in Aisne in 1866, and 36,297 hives in Oise in 1869.
The bond between Picardie and the lime tree is ancient and deep: the species grows wild here, often referred to as "wild limes", and has given its name to numerous localities across the region ("Les Tilleuls", "Petit Tilleux", "Montilloy", "Thieux", "Tilloy"). The very etymology of Chantilly is said to derive from the Latin campus tiliae, "field of lime trees".
The drive for PGI (IGP) recognition originated in the actions of a few professional beekeepers in northern France, who came together in the 2000s within the association Apiculteurs Professionnels en Pays du Nord-Picardie (APPNP), since become ADA Hauts-de-France. These pioneers called upon the Chambre d'agriculture de Picardie, then the Chambre régionale d'agriculture des Hauts-de-France, to join the regional brand "Terroirs Hauts-de-France", under which an initial quality initiative was developed, including apiary inspections, laboratory analyses and a tasting committee. From 2023, the association Miels des Hauts-de-France, open to any operator producing or marketing Miel de tilleul de Picardie, took up the torch.
The PGI product specification was approved at national level by decree on 26 June 2024, published in the Journal officiel of 5 July 2024, with a view to its submission to the European Commission. European recognition arrived on 11 November 2025, with the publication of the implementing regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union: "Miel de tilleul de Picardie" thus became the very first honey under a geographical indication in Hauts-de-France — the region already boasted other recognised specialities, such as haricot de Soissons or Licques free-range poultry, but no honey. In a press release, the association Miels des Hauts-de-France welcomed "the culmination of more than 20 years of collective work". The event was celebrated on 15 November 2025 with a Fête du Miel at the cloître Dewailly in Amiens, bringing together a producers' market, culinary events and lectures on beekeeping.
Appearance
Monofloral honey of a pale colour, straw-yellow with greenish tints, presenting in liquid or crystallised form, with a homogeneous texture (without phase separation).
Aroma
Plant-like, with fresh, minty notes of medium to strong intensity.
Taste
Refreshing and minty, sometimes described as "pharmaceutical", slightly astringent, with medium sweetness and acidity; persistence on the palate is medium to strong.
Texture
Homogeneous, liquid or crystallised depending on the state of the honey.
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Many Picard beekeepers sell directly to consumers; others sell their harvest in bulk to merchants and packers, who then supply retail shelves. Its refreshing, minty taste, pale colour and homogeneous texture — whether liquid or crystallised — make it a fine table honey, enjoyed by the spoonful, spread on bread, or paired with an infusion.
Since: 2025
Area covered: Aisne, Oise and Somme (heart of the area), with an extension into the south of Pas-de-Calais and a few communes of Val-d'Oise — forests with naturally occurring lime trees (notably Halatte, Chantilly, Saint-Gobain, Samoussy)
Key requirements: Monofloral honey produced from lime tree nectar (notably Tilia cordata), with all stages from the hive to extraction carried out within the geographical area; presence sought of three pollen markers (sweet chestnut, lime, bramble), with at least one being dominant or accompanying; feeding of colonies prohibited from 30 April; organoleptic examination committee.
Association
Artisan
Artisan
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Philippe Richer runs Le Rucher de la Grenouillère in Essômes-sur-Marne, in Aisne. A beekeeper for over forty years, he has been working professionally since 2008.
His honey production is diversified — acacia, spring, lime blossom — alongside royal jelly, propolis and pollen. Miel de tilleul de Picardie, one of his specialities, is harvested there from mid-June to early July; he practises organic farming across his entire holding. Philippe Richer is one of the beekeepers committed to the PGI (IGP) scheme spearheaded by the association Miels des Hauts-de-France.
| Address | 16 Rue Jacques Fourrier, 02400 Essômes-sur-Marne, France |
| 03 23 83 13 94 | |
| richer.philippe@wanadoo.fr | |
| philippericher.com | |
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All production is certified organic, since 2018. |
