County Durham honey follows the land from lowland farms up to the North Pennines. South Durham Honey keeps its main apiary beside Whitworth Hall near Spennymoor, where the bees work farmland and wildflowers along the River Wear, then takes hives up to the heather moorland of the North Pennines from late July to late August for a Co Durham heather honey. Steve's Bees in Norton takes hives to the moors at the end of July and leaves them until mid to late September; because almost all the forage there is heather, he calls it the only pure honey his bees make – stronger tasting and jelly-like.
The associations are good places to find honey. Durham Beekeepers say members' honey turns up in farm shops, at the Indoor Market in Durham and at the county shows. Darlington Beekeepers Association keeps its apiary at the Old Bowling Green in the Denes, and Aycliffe Beekeepers' Association sells honey, including comb honey, from apiaries at Newton Aycliffe and Brafferton for collection or delivery.
South Durham Honey is stocked by farm shops, delis and visitor centres from Bowlees in Teesdale to Beamish, while Humble Bee in Langley Park sells wildflower honey online and through local outlets.
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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