Honey, Honey, Honey...

Honey, Honey, Honey...

What's all the fuss about?

Lots of wild claims are made for Honey, so we won't be creating any new ones here. However, here are some of the most popular claims that are already out there. Research them yourselves for greater satisfaction!


Honey has anti-biotic qualities, especially manuka honey, which comes from New Zealand. However, beware! Many times more honey is sold as manuka than can possibly have been produced by the limited number of manuka forests in New Zealand. Genuine manuka honey will have an independent UMF tested label, and it will be much more expensive than normal honey.


However, although all genuine honey has anti-biotic qualities and can be applied to infected skin, if you are planning to eat it rather than wear it, honey has other health benefits. It can help fight internal infections, and many people find that local honey has a particularly beneficial effect in fighting allergies and strengthening the body's immune system.

There is currently a lot of controversy about honey sold in shops and stores, and there is little control over how it is labelled and marketed. A significant proportion of commercial honey is not pure honey, and is known to be contaminated, watered down or can be simply sugar syrup, never having been within stinging distance of a bee. Runny honey is also frequently pasteurised by commercial producers to prevent it from setting, which of course is a natural process. Pasteurising removes many of the beneficial ingedients of honey, as well as some of the flavour.


At the moment, the British Beekeeping Association is lobbying for a strengthening of labelling regulations to try to reduce these practices. In the meantime, if you want to be safe, and you want to eat genuine local honey, try to buy from local beekeepers, who generally sell their honey into farm and community shops, at country shows or directly to the public, sometimes from the roadside, and see below for sales from us. Always check the label, which should show sufficient details of the beekeeper to enable you to find out where the honey is produced.

We have an apiary at Ryall, and produce honey that we sell to our members and to the public. It is priced at £5 (to members; £6 to non-members) for a 340g/12oz jar and is sold from 3 locations by arrangement. Contact your nearest by email:


Malvern:     heatherfooks@gmail.com

Twyning:     wro@idspartners.co.uk

Rushwick:   j.f.moseley@btinternet.com


Our members are also able to sell honey produced in their own apiaries to the public for the price listed above (£6 for a 340g/12oz jar or £7 for a 454g/1lb jar). Please email the following members to arrange collection:
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