Bees make honey

Bees make honey says Jez Rose

Bees & Co. is home to the native British honeybee, which Jez and his team are rearing and reintroducing to help battle the pollinator decline. Our native bees are much darker than the yellow and black bees most of us would recognise and are a largely forgotten strain of bee, but perfectly adapted to our climate. Where most honey farms are focused on the commercial production of honey, Bees & Co. are primarily concerned with the environment. Their hives are available for businesses to adopt as part of a sustainability programme to demonstrate to their customers and staff how they are being responsible as organisations, and their clients include The Ned Hotel in London; Sophie Allport; BeautyPro and Parker’s Tavern in Cambridge, but Bees & Co. also run a wide range of workshops and experience days, including their popular Beekeeper for a Day gift experience. ‘I wanted to invite people to the farm to see how passionate we are about the environment and our honeybees; running training workshops and gift experiences is just one of the ways we do that,’ says Jez, who used to present children’s television. ‘I hope we can encourage people to ask more questions about where their food comes from; what’s in it and whether there are better ways to do things to help the environment the way we live our lives.’

The bees at the farm also produce Great Taste award-winning honey, which is sold online and at various local shops including Swine’s Meadow Nursery, as well as sent to those who adopt a hive. The space Jez has created is almost entirely pollinator friendly, with more than 10,000 new plants and flowers being planted since he moved there in 2016, and the result is a unique honey that is simply delicious, the bees foraging on a veritable feast! Harvested by hand and to traditional artisan methods, it is true, raw, British honey: a spring-set honey from the abundance of oil seed rape crop, and a clear, runny honey from the huge array of blossom and flowers on the farm and native flowers surrounding it. ‘One of the many joys of raw, British honey, which is actually held in high regard all over the world as one of the nicest honeys, is just how versatile it is. We offer a honey called “Baker’s Honey”, which is ideal for baking; in most recipes you can simply swap processed sugar for an equal weight of honey for a healthier bake. It’s also great in drinks, including cocktails!’ There are a number of recipes on their blog for savoury, sweet and cocktail treats with honey at their heart but one of their most popular is this flapjack recipe created by Jez’s friend, cookery tutor and chef, Kathy Slack:

Flapjacks

Makes 8 pieces (you’ll want to double up) 100g unsalted butter 1tbsp runny honey (or use our Baker’s Honey, which works especially well in these) 85g Demerara sugar 140g porridge oats (not jumbo)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Put the butter, honey and sugar in a large saucepan and set over a low heat until the butter has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the oats, stirring until every flake is covered in sugary butter. Spoon into a lined dish or foil tray (roughly 10 x 15cm) pressing down into the edges and making sure the top is smooth. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before cutting into 8 pieces. This flapjack will keep in an airtight container for 5 days, but it really won’t take that long to eat. For more information on Bees & Co. see www.beesand.co and follow Jez and his team on social media @ThatJezRose

Special Offer

Exclusive ‘I’d Rather Be In Deeping’ offer:

Save £25 on a range of our award-winning workshops and experience days with the discount code DEEPING. Valid until 31st July 2020.