Raw New Forest Wildflower Honey - Furzedown Farm, 250g ^Sale

Furzedown Farm is where The Noble Bee is based so this honey is from our home apiary! Our farm sits in wildlife conservation woodland, between the shores of Southampton Water and the New Forest National Park. Many of the plants here were planted specifically to benefit bees, and that planting is what shapes the honey.

The bees work hawthorn and holly early in the season, then lime, sweet chestnut, blackberry and meadow flowers as the year runs on. What ends up in the jar is a true wildflower honey that reflects this particular patch of ground in this particular year.

Single origin, and why we bother

Most British honey is pooled. A season's harvest from dozens of sites goes into one tank, gets blended to a consistent flavour and sold as one product. We do the opposite. Every apiary is harvested, extracted and jarred separately, and the label tells you exactly which one you're holding.

It's more work and it means we can never guarantee two batches taste identical. That's kind of the point! The variation between sites is remarkable, and blending it away would remove one of the most exciting things about local honey.

Raw, and what that actually means

Nothing is done to this honey between the hive and the jar except coarse straining to take out bits of wax. It is never heated, never pasteurised, never fine-filtered, never blended with anything. No additives and certainly no syrups.

That matters because heat and fine filtration strip out the pollen, enzymes and aromatic compounds that give honey its character and its traceability. Honey with the pollen removed can't be traced back to where it was made. Ours can - down to a single apiary in the New Forest.

Awards

Our single-origin New Forest honey has won multiple Great Taste awards, including a three-star award in 2023 - the only British honey producer to receive one that year. We're also a certified New Forest Marque producer, which means everything is grown, produced and packed within the New Forest.

The details

• 250g glass jar
• Raw, unpasteurised, coarsely strained only
• Single origin: Furzedown Farm apiary, Hythe, New Forest
• Forage: hawthorn, holly, lime, sweet chestnut, blackberry, meadow flowers
• Beekeepers: Simon Noble and Chloe Harvey
  
• Ingredients: honey. Nothing else!

Looking after it

Raw honey crystallises over time. It's a sign the honey hasn't been processed and not a fault. In fact it's one of the easiest ways to tell raw honey from the pasteurised stuff, which is treated specifically to stop it happening. Stand the jar in warm water (keep it below 40°C) and it will turn runny again. Store at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Come and see the hives

These bees are at our home base, which means you can meet them. Our beekeeping experience days run from Furzedown Farm, led by professional beekeepers, and you'll suit up and open a hive yourself.