honey

produced from our hives on our farms

Honey is one of nature's marvels and has been a traditional product of Great Britain for many years, so in keeping with this we have our very own Co-operative Truly Irresistible English set honey.

Pure and natural, our delicious honey is supplied by beekeepers with hives on our farms. Honeybees forage on orchards and field flower blossoms on our farms to gather nectar. This creates a naturally sweet and rich, full flavoured English honey.

planting

Our honey is produced by honeybees that collect plant nectar found in our farms. We have hives at Tillington, Down Ampney, Ashby St Ledgers, Stoughton, Wykeham, Normanby and Goole. The bees collect pollen and nectar in the spring and summer, as this is when most plants are in bloom.
                       
The weather, geography and different nectar sources found by the bees all affect the way that the honey will look and taste.

tending

The bees need to visit several flowers to produce nectar. In fact one worker bee will visit up to 60 flowers on a single trip and will carry half its weight in nectar!
 
The nectar is then used to make honey for our bees to eat. In order to convert the nectar into honey, the bees ripen it using enzymes, which convert it into glucose and fructose. It is then stored in honeycomb cells to dry and ripen and turn into honey.
 
Our beekeepers provide hives with wood and wire panels coated with beeswax and carved in a honeycomb shape. These frames give the bees a head start with building their own honeycomb.
 
Our beekeepers visit the hives regularly to see when the bees have finished ripening the honey. This normally takes place 2 - 3 times a year.

harvesting

Once the honey is ripened, our beekeepers collect the frames of honey from the hives when the bees are calm. Once the frames have been carefully removed, our beekeepers cut off the waxy top and the honey drips out into an extractor unit. The honey is then drained, filtered and put into a settling tank. From here it is delivered to Rowse Honey in Wallingford, where it is bottled and blended into delicious set honey using traditional recipes.
 
Before distribution our honey is chilled and kept in a specially prepared cold store for about 4 days. This gives a smooth refined honey, ready to be dispatched to our selected stores across the country.

eating

Versatile and natural, honey is not only perfect for spreading on hot buttered toast but also for adding to steaming hot porridge and yoghurts. It tastes great in smoothies, drizzled over fresh fruit and ice-cream and makes a healthier alternative to syrup on pancakes. Honey is as a natural substitute for sugar but remember, it is much sweeter, so you should use less!

For savoury dishes, honey is fantastic for marinating meat, as it makes it much more succulent and juicy. Use it in casseroles and stir frys.

You could also try adding it to salad dressings and sauces for an enriched and fuller flavour. Honey tastes especially good in barbecue sauce, as it gives a distinct flavour as it caramelises - delicious!