World Bee Day: The Tiny Food Producers We Couldn’t Live Without

When people think about food heroes, they might picture celebrity chefs, artisan bakers or talented farmers. 

But one of the most important contributors to our food chain is something much smaller. the humble bee.

Every year on 20th May, World Bee Day celebrates the incredible importance of bees and other pollinators to our food supply, farming and countryside.

And frankly, without bees, breakfast would look very depressing indeed.

No Bees? No Full English

Bees play a major role in pollinating crops around the world. Many fruits, vegetables, nuts and herbs rely heavily on pollinators to grow properly.

Without bees, we would see serious shortages, and soaring prices, for foods such as:

Strawberries

Apples

Blueberries

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Almonds

Coffee

Chocolate ingredients

Herbs and spices

Even livestock farming can be affected because bees help pollinate plants used for animal feed.

In other words, bees quietly help power everything from summer salads to Sunday puddings.

The Buzz Behind British Food

Across the UK, bees are vital to orchards, allotments, gardens and farms. Whether it is apples for cider, berries for desserts or rapeseed crops used in cooking oils, pollinators are constantly hard at work behind the scenes.

And then there is honey itself, one of nature’s greatest culinary gifts.

From local blossom honey to darker, richer woodland varieties, British honey producers create flavours every bit as interesting and regional as wine or cheese.

Many food lovers are now actively seeking out local honey from farm shops, food markets and independent producers, helping support sustainable beekeeping at the same time.

Why Bees Are Struggling

Sadly, bee populations have faced major challenges in recent years. Habitat loss, pesticides, climate change and changing farming practices have all played a part.

Modern outdoor spaces can often look attractive to humans while offering very little for pollinators. Large paved gardens, artificial grass and overly tidy landscaping leave bees with few places to feed.

And fewer bees ultimately means less reliable food production.

How Food Lovers Can Help

The good news is that helping bees is surprisingly easy, and often delicious.

Grow Bee-Friendly Herbs

Lavender, thyme, mint, rosemary and chives all attract pollinators while giving you fresh ingredients for the kitchen.

Buy Local Honey

Supporting local beekeepers helps maintain healthy bee populations while introducing you to unique local flavours.

Choose Seasonal Produce

Seasonal British fruit and vegetables often depend heavily on local pollinators. Buying seasonal supports sustainable agriculture.

Let Flowers Bloom

Even a few pots of flowers on a patio or balcony can provide important feeding spots for bees. Why not install a bee hotel in your garden?

The Taste of a Healthy Planet

World Bee Day is a reminder that good food starts long before ingredients reach the kitchen. It starts in orchards, hedgerows, fields and gardens filled with buzzing pollinators quietly doing their job.

So the next time you enjoy strawberries and cream, a crisp apple pie, or even your morning coffee, spare a thought for the tiny workers helping to make it possible.

Because when it comes to food and drink, bees really are the business.

Black Bee Honey Introduce Limited Edition Gift Pack for World Bee Day

More news on World Bee Day and Black Bee Honey.

World Bee Day on 20th May, today, is a day designated by the UN to raise awareness about the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators and British beekeeper collective Black Bee Honey continues its commitment to supporting bees through its work with conservation charity Plantlife, whose patron is HM King Charles III.

So far the B-corp Somerset-based company, who have donated 2% of their annual turnover to Plantlife since 2020, have helped create over 30 acres of wild meadows for bees and other pollinators. 

Black Bee Honey's co-founders Chris Barnes and Paul Webb were absolutely gutted to learn of the loss of 98% of wildflower meadows across the UK since the 1930s. 

Meadows like those they are helping to establish are a vital habitat for pollinators, as well as being effective in sequestering carbon. 

As beekeepers, they understand the importance of reinstating this habitat and have made it integral to Black Bee Honey's mission. Their work with Plantlife has also enabled them to develop a circular business model where every jar bought creates wildflower meadows, which in turn helps bees create honey. 

Paul told That's Food and Drink: “Our 2% for pollinators commitment has already enabled us to have a significant, positive impact on biodiversity. It's one of our proudest achievements since founding the company.

"We believe that all businesses should strive to create positive change rather than exist purely for profit through extraction. As we grow, our positive impact on the environment will also increase.”

To celebrate World Bee Day, Black Bee Honey has joined forces with fellow pollinator champions Kabloom to launch a limited-edition collaborative gift bundle. 

Priced at £30 with free shipping within the UK, The World Bee Day Bundle includes Black Bee Honey's 4 Seasons Mini Honey Jar Gift Box, a recipe card for inspiration and Kabloom's Birds, Bees & Butterflies Seedbom Gift Box, and is available from www.blackbeehoney.com. 

100% of proceeds from every Seedbom gift box sold as part of this bundle will go directly to Wild Britain®, Kabloom's rewilding initiative that invests in restoring land across the whole of the UK. 

Black Bee Honey's co-founder Chris Barnes commented: “Collaborating with Kabloom on this special World Bee Day bundle feels like a totally natural fit. It's a brilliant way to celebrate and support pollinators from seed to spoon.”

Olly Tyler, who is Kabloom's MD, adds: “We're really pleased and proud to align ourselves with such a likeminded brand to amplify the buzz around World Bee Day.  All of the proceeds from every Seedbom gift box sold as part of this offer will go directly to Wild Britain®, our rewilding initiative that invests in restoring land across the UK.”

Wildly British: a taste of Black Bee Honey

The Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter honey is also available in a gift box or you can enjoy some of the Black Bee Honey range in a three, six or 12 month subscription.

Spring

A creamy, soft set honey foraged from rapeseed, hawthorn and plum blossom in Somerset, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire, with a light, sweet flavour.

Summer

Summer in a jar, this multi-floral variety is sourced during summer from apiaries in Somerset, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire. It's created from a mix of wildflowers and has a rich floral flavour.

Autumn 

A bold, dark and aromatic honey with a thick texture and notes of treacle. It's sourced from apiaries in North Yorkshire and Scotland whose bees are taken onto the moors in August when the Ling Heather is in bloom.

Winter 

A fresh, herbal honey with light menthol flavours and a sweet, ripe finish. Sourced from Hampshire where the bees mainly forage on ivy during early winter, it has a set, crumbly texture.

Pollen 

This enriched version of Black Bee Honey's Spring honey has a depth of flavour due to the addition of pollen granules collected by bees throughout spring and summer.

Starflower

Pure British Borage honey, also known as Starflower, this limited release honey is sourced from apiaries in Lincolnshire, Northants and Hertfordshire, and has a delicate, sweet and subtly floral taste.

Seaside

A rare honey variety from hives located on North Norfolk's salt marshes with an incredible and complex salted caramel flavour.

Winter Seaside 

This honey comes from hives on North Norfolk's salt marshes where bees forage on ivy and sea lavender, producing fresh, herbal notes and a salty caramel finish.

Black Bee Honey is available to buy at www.blackbeehoney.com. Keep updated with Black Bee Honey via @blackbeehoneycompany (Instagram) and @blackbeehoney (X)

Is the Honey You are Buying Fake? Black Bee Honey Calls for Urgent Government Action

That's Food and Drink has already recently posted about World Bee Day. But we have received some news that has genuinely disturbed us.

Because as World Bee Day approaches, on the 20th May, award-winning B Corp certified British beekeeper collective Black Bee Honey is on a mission to highlight the fact that fake honey being sold to shoppers in UK supermarkets by campaigning for more independent testing to be performed on imported honey.

Around half a million tons of honey are sold in the UK every year but its quality and its environmental impact is poor. 

Most of the honey on offer in our supermarkets is imported, with its origin often listed as “a blend of EU and non-EU honey”.  Many consumers believe the honey they're buying is 100% pure when it's actually a mix of imported blended honey.

Black Bee Honey was founded in 2010 by beekeepers Paul Webb and Chris Barnes who met in a design office 20 years ago. Their passion for bees and honey began with hives in their own back gardens and they soon discovered how delicious honey tasted straight from the hive - worlds apart from the imported honey found on supermarket shelves. Inspired, they soon left their design jobs for the rooftops and gardens of London where they cared for over a million bees and established Black Bee Honey.  

Co-founder Paul Webb told That's Food and Drink: “Adulterated or fake honey being imported into the UK has been happening for many years but it's only now coming to light. 

"It's had a massive, negative impact on UK honey producers, artificially lowering the price expectation of a very special product which takes a huge amount of time and energy to produce by bees and beekeepers. The public have been unwittingly eating sugar syrup when they think they're eating real honey which devalues the real thing further due to lack of flavour and it's also a health concern."

Pauyl went on to tell us: "We're asking for more independent testing on honey to begin to reverse the trend towards more and more cheap, fake honey and to get quality British honey back on the supermarket shelves. That's why Black Bee Honey was founded and why we'll continue to fight for British Beekeepers, their bees and the great honey they produce”.

Lynne Ingram, Chair of the Honey Authenticity Network UK, an international organisation fighting 'Fake honey' to help honey producers, consumers and bees added: “UK consumers have the right to make informed choices when purchasing honey. 

"If a product is labelled as honey, it must be exactly that, real, genuine honey, naturally collected and ripened by bees. It should not be a factory-processed product, artificially dried or containing added syrups. 

"Transparency is also essential when it comes to labelling. Vague statements like 'a blend of EU and non-EU honeys' are unhelpful and potentially misleading. Consumers deserve clear information about the true country of origin. We are calling on the authorities to take urgent action to stop the influx of cheap, adulterated honey into the UK. This includes robust testing and strong enforcement to protect both consumers and honest producers.”

Black Bee Honey's range of award-winning 100% British 'flower to jar' honeys are single source with the location and name of the beekeeper printed on every jar, so it's fully traceable.  

"Since 2020 they have been donating 2% of their turnover to the charity Plantlife for the creation of wildflower meadows, and so far have helped create over 25 acres of meadows. This work has enabled them to establish a circular business model where every jar bought creates wildflower meadows, which in turn helps bees to create honey. 

Black Bee Honey is currently listed with Ocado, Holland & Barrett, Abel & Cole and Harrods.  Their honeys are also available online at blackbeehoney.com

That's Food and Drink will be looking out for Black Bee Honey the next time we have a Holland and Barrett visit planned!

Here is the link to our previous coverage of World Bee Day https://thatsfoodanddrink.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-buzz-about-world-bee-day-vital-for.html