Most Cheshire honey is a blend of whatever is flowering nearby. In north Cheshire, Mayflower Apiaries lists the main nectar sources as fruit blossom, dandelion, sycamore, oilseed rape, field beans, clover, lime, willowherb and balsam. As a result, its honey varies from year to year and from apiary to apiary; field bean honey, for instance, is only stored about one year in three. On the county's eastern edge, Happy Valley Honey at Bollington, in the foothills of the Peak District, sells heather and borage honeys as well as Cheshire blossom. Bax Bees moves its hives around the Cheshire countryside to produce seasonal and single-flower honeys.
The Cheshire Beekeepers' Association grew out of a joint Lancashire and Cheshire association formed in 1882, and it holds a honey show at its autumn convention. Members of its Mid Cheshire branch sell honey at shows including the Royal Cheshire County Show and Arley Hall Garden Festival.
There are plenty of ways to buy. Bax Bees has a honey house shop at Plumley, Bloom Sanctuary Honey sells for collection from a garden in Tytherington, Macclesfield, and Frandley Honey sells direct from apiaries around Antrobus, Arley and Moore. Crewe Honey and Finest Cheshire Honey sell online.
Use the listing details to choose how to buy, then contact the producer before travelling.
The directory does not track live stock or harvest dates. Availability, collection, delivery, prices and seasonal varieties can change, so ask the producer to confirm what is currently available.
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