From an all-consuming hobby to a business
PLEASE NOTE – we no longer take orders from our online shop. If you can’t get to our markets or stockists, email Ian at hedgeleyhoney@gmail.com. Thank you.
My dad has kept bees for many years and I always enjoyed going through the bees with him, says beekeeper Ian Robson, explaining About Us at Hedgeley Honey.
As the family grew up, I thought it would be good to spend an hour or two every Saturday afternoon looking after them. Little did I know that it would turn into an all-consuming hobby and eventually into a business!
From my original two colonies, I went to four, then eight. We have more than 100 hives in Northumberland’s Breamish Valley and as far south as Longhorsley.
I’m a member of the Alnwick and District Beekeepers Association, one of the oldest beekeeping associations in the country. Read more about the beautiful Breamish Valley at www.breamishvalley.com. We are proud members of the Bee Farmers Association and have one full-time and two part-time members of staff.
About us at Hedgeley Honey – practical test
The next step up for me was taking the British Beekeepers Association’s (BBKA) General Husbandry Certificate. You can sit this exam if you’ve been beekeeping for at least five years and you’ve passed your BBKA Basic Assessment.
It’s a practical test rather than a written exam, judged by two BBKA assessors. During the assessment, your apiary, apparatus and honey-handling equipment are inspected.
You also have to demonstrate a method of selective queen-rearing. Your colonies are also manipulated to see how they’re being looked after. Yes, looking after so many bees means the odd sting or two, but the end product is certainly worth it!
Where can you buy the honey?
Our Northumbrian Flower Honey, Northumbrian Heather Honey and Borage Honey is stocked by a number of outlets across the county – here’s the full list with links to their websites. We also have top-ranking five stars for food hygiene.
Most of the honey sold in supermarkets comes from multiple sources. Often pasteurised and processed, you don’t know what you’re buying or where it originated from. Thankfully, you know precisely where our honey has come from! Buying locally produced honey such as ours means cutting your carbon footprint, which is good for all of us.