Hackney Honey

The producers of Hackney Honey only started keeping bees in their garden two years ago but have already taken two honey harvests this year - one in June, and another in August. Their regular home insurance covered them until they sold their first jar, when they had to take out a special beekeeping policy. The early spring harvest produces a very light coloured, fruity honey, they tell me. The later honey is probably a real mix of the many different flowers in the gardens and parks around Hackney. It is much darker in colour and has more of a toffee taste.

Hackney Honey is joining Hackney Homemade Saturday market in St John at Hackney churchyard next week. You can't get more local than this as the bees are kept in a garden in central Hackney and it is thought that they probably collect most of the early spring honey from the trees in the churchyard, although it is of course almost impossible to keep tabs on the bees whereabouts.

All of Hackney honey is kept unfiltered, which leaves it with just a slight cloudiness. This means it contains local pollen. Many hayfever suffers swear that eating local honey alleviates their symptoms, which is a very good reason to buy Hackney honey – apart from supporting your local producer, of course.