Frequently Asked Questions
Honey sometimes goes hard, or granulates as we call it. Granulation is a natural process for honey and the time it takes to solidify depends on the nectars (specifically fructose and glucose levels) in the batch.
If you prefer your honey runny you can gently warm the jar in a saucepan of warm water or leave it in a warm place in your home. Though this won’t work for all types of honey - for example our Winter Ivy Honey will always return to an almost solid state.
Although honey may crystallise over time, due to its high natural sugar content it will never really go off. The UK law states that we must put a 'Best Before' date on our labels, so we use the maximum allowable of 2 years. Honey has been discovered from Ancient Egypt and it was still edible, so go figure!
In the UK raw means any food that hasn’t been heated to temperatures over 48°C. It should also not be refined, pasteurised or processed in any way. We’ve always tried to follow these principles, however due to rulings by the Trading Standards we are unable to use the term ‘raw’ when describing our honey on our labels or any other marketing materials.
Due to the limited size of organic farmland in the UK it is almost impossible to attain organic certification here and there is no organic honey produced in the UK that we know of. However, we produce and source our honey in areas with very little exposure to chemicals, such as national parks and nature reserves.
Our honey should be stored in a dark place at room temperature for best results.
Although we and some of our suppliers do have some Black Bees in the hives the majority of honey comes from other strains. This is due to the relatively tiny population and their lack of popularity with honey producers because of poor temperament.
Honey’s antimicrobial quality is measured by the term “Total Activity" (TA). The higher the TA score the greater the antimicrobial strength. Most unpasteurised and coarse filtered honey types possess some activity level, usually on a scale from 1 to 20. Honeys with Total Activity over 10+ are considered to have substantial antimicrobial properties. We've tested our honeys in the past and British Autumn has shown the highest activity levels.
To preserve the good stuff in honey don't mix with boiling water. Honey will dissolve in temperatures of 40-50°C so just use warm water instead.
All our honey is from the UK. We source it from all over, from North Yorkshire all the way down to Somerset. We even make our own including our limited edition London variety.
Honey can be consumed by children over the age of 12 months.
Honey is a by-product of bees, so therefore not strictly vegan. However, we've met vegans who after trying our honey and hearing our story have chosen to buy it. All our honey is produced in an ethical, sustainable way by beekeepers who respect and care for their bees.
Yes, all of our is honey gluten free.
Unfortunately we can't offer a swarm removal service but if you check the British Beekeepers Association website they have volunteers across the country who might be able to help.