Honey

Somerset Bees | Raw Honey | Small Batch | Handmade

Summer Blossom Honey

Summer Blossom Honey comes from Louise Bees' hives in the villages and hamlets surrounding Frome. The bees feed all summer on flowers from the gardens, hedgerows and trees.

Each day the colony chooses which source of nectar to forage, so the final honey contains a mix of all these flavours and differs from hive to hive.

Creamed Honey

This is a great alternative to runny honey, as it doesn't run out of the bottom of your crumpets! Super creamy, it stays smooth enough to spread.

To make it, Louise Bees create a 'seed'. They break down the sugar chains of set honey by bashing it in a pestle and mortar, then mix it with runny honey and leave it to set. From this 'seed' they make up larger quantities.

Cold Smoked Honey

There's an old Somerset pub, now resurrected into a fantastic gastro pub and farm shop, that houses the famous Valley Smokehouse (patronised by Raymond Blanc and Phil Vickery). After a chat between Louise and Jon, the founder, he agreed to cold smoke some of Louise Bees' Somerset Honey.

The result is a delicious, full-on taste experience. Either as a marinade or glaze for roasted or barbecued foods, or just drizzled across a blue cheese, walnut and rocket salad.

Brandy Soaked Walnuts in Honey

Walnut halves are soaked in brandy until they plump up, then drizzled with our best raw honey.

Perfect for a dessert topping, as a stuffing for rich game, or eaten straight from the jar as a treat. 

This product is not suitable for children as it contains alcohol.  

Warning: contains nuts

Hot Honey

A proper West Country honey with a fiery little kick. It’s only lightly filtered, leaving all that lovely natural honey character, before being infused with habanero chilli for a gentle heat that builds rather than barges in.

There are all sorts of ways to use it. Drizzle it over a good steak, brush it onto pork chops or sausages, or use it to make a sticky glaze for ribs or pulled pork. It’s particularly good with anything rich, salty or charred — try it with a mature Cheddar or goat’s cheese, halloumi straight from the grill, or a beef burger topped with blue cheese. And, naturally, a little drizzle over pizza is hard to resist.

Honeygar tonic

A simple old-fashioned combination of two wonderfully characterful ingredients: raw borage honey and raw cider apple vinegar, complete with the mother.

Honeygar has been enjoyed traditionally as a daily tonic, and it’s easy to see why the combination has endured. The raw honey brings a gentle sweetness to the sharpness of the unfiltered cider vinegar, making it much more rounded and interesting than vinegar on its own.

It’s traditionally taken by the spoonful — try a tablespoon diluted in a little water — but we think it really comes into its own in the kitchen. Shake well before using and drizzle over a crisp green salad, use it to make a punchy dressing, or add a little to marinades and sauces where you want sweetness and acidity together.

Made with raw ingredients and unfiltered cider vinegar with the mother, this is one to keep in the cupboard for both its old-fashioned character and its usefulness in the kitchen.

Shake well before use. Store somewhere cool and dark. Once opened, use within 6 months.

Please note

Once the honey is harvested it is strained through a coarse filter to remove any debris. This ensures that all the pollen, propolis and other goodies are all left behind for you to enjoy.

Louise Bees don't pasteurise their honey as this kills the good bacteria and enzymes. It also means the honey will granulate over time. If you heat it gently the honey will become runny again.

Honey is not suitable for infants under 18 months.