Local Honey in Hampshire

Find honey in Hampshire on the map

Hampshire's best-known local honey is New Forest heather. Ling on the Forest's open heath flowers from late July into September, and beekeepers from elsewhere in the county take their strongest hives there, by prior arrangement, for the late crop. It is a thick, jelly-like honey with a distinctive, slightly bitter flavour; The Noble Bee, which keeps over 100 hives across the Forest, moves colonies onto the heath for those few weeks of bloom. Away from the heath the forage is farmland, hedgerow, woodland and garden: Honey Bee Happy's main apiary near Alresford sits among hedgerows and woodland in the South Downs National Park, and Holmbury Honey at Steep takes two crops a year, in April–May and July–August.

The Hampshire Beekeepers' Association holds its annual Honey Show and Convention at Sparsholt College near Winchester, and New Forest & District Beekeepers run the Honey Tent at the New Forest Show, which has its own class for ling heather honey.

Most honey here is bought direct. Holmbury Honey has a stall in the lane at Steep, Hood Hampshire Honey sells from the door in Bassett and at Hampshire Farmers' Markets, and Honey Bee Happy is regularly at local farmers' markets.

Explore Hampshire by town

• Local honey in Alresford
• Local honey in Andover
• Local honey in Basingstoke
• Local honey in Bordon
• Local honey in Bransgore
• Local honey in Fordingbridge
• Local honey in Havant
• Local honey in Hythe
• Local honey in Lopcombe
• Local honey in Quarley
• Local honey in Ringwood
• Local honey in Romsey
• Local honey in Southampton
• Local honey in Steep
• Local honey in Warnford
• Local honey in Winchester

Beekeeping landscape and local forage

On the chalk, colonies work clover, sainfoin and the wildflower mixes sown on downland margins, with oilseed rape providing a heavy early flow across the north of the county. The Test and Itchen valleys add willow and hawthorn early in the year and a long bramble season along the hedgerows. South of the M27 the picture changes: the New Forest's heaths carry bell heather from July and ling into September, and many Hampshire beekeepers move hives onto the Forest fringes for that crop. Winchester, Southampton and Basingstoke all have significant lime avenues, and urban apiaries in those towns often take a distinct mid-summer flow that rural ones miss entirely.

What Hampshire honey can taste like

Pale and quick-setting from the spring rape and clover; the Forest crop is darker, aromatic and sometimes gelled from ling heather.

Seasonal forage calendar

Flowering times are typical and can shift by two to three weeks with the weather, season and altitude.

Places to find local honey in Hampshire

Southampton, Winchester, Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Andover, Alresford, Havant, Fareham

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy New Forest heather honey in Hampshire?

Yes, but it is a short season and small volumes. Ling heather honey from the Forest heaths is usually jarred in September and often sells out before Christmas. If you want it, contact a producer in the south of the county in late summer rather than waiting until spring.

Why does Hampshire honey set so hard?

Oilseed rape is grown widely across north Hampshire and its honey granulates within weeks of extraction. Most local beekeepers deal with this by producing soft-set or creamed honey rather than fighting it. It is not a sign of adulteration — the opposite, in fact, since heavily processed honey stays runny for longer.

Buying local honey in Hampshire

Use the listing details to choose how to buy, then contact the seller before travelling.

• 19 active directory listings currently appear for Hampshire.
• 11 listings are marked as raw honey.
• 5 listings report an outlet.
• Opening information is supplied on 2 listings.
• 8 listings have a verified webshop link.
• 6 listings also note other beekeeping products.

The directory does not track live stock or harvest dates. Availability, collection, delivery, prices and seasonal varieties can change, so ask the seller to confirm what is currently available.

Honey producers and beekeepers

• Becky's Beezzzs

  Andover, Hampshire

  Hampshire-based honeybee farmers producing raw, unblended honey from over 250 colonies.

• Glenbuck Apiary

  Bordon, Hampshire

  Glenbuck Apiary produces local honey from small-scale apiaries in Hampshire.

• Havant Raw Honey

  Havant, Hampshire

  Unheated raw honey from hives in Havant, with batch numbers that trace every jar to its hive and extraction date.

• Holmbury Honey

  Steep, Hampshire

• Honey Bee Happy

  Alresford, Hampshire

  Artisan bee farmers near Alresford selling Hampshire honey at farmers' markets, farm pop-up days and more than 20 local shops.

• Honey's Honey

  Ringwood, Hampshire

  Raw New Forest, Ringwood and Purbeck honeys from a husband-and-wife beekeeping brand that also bottles for local beekeepers.

• Honeydown

  Basingstoke, Hampshire

  Honeydown produces local honey and honey-based products from apiaries in Hampshire.

• Hood Hampshire Honey

  Southampton, Hampshire

  Unblended honey from more than 20 colonies around Southampton, sold from the beekeeper's door and at Hampshire farmers' markets.

• John Read – Hampshire Honey (via Hive & Keeper)

  Lopcombe, Hampshire

  Small-scale ethical beekeeper producing raw honey in rural Lopcombe, Hampshire.

• Little Timbers

  Ringwood, Hampshire

  Ringwood smallholding selling locally sourced New Forest honey from its own shop and at local markets.

• Louisebees Wiltshire Bees

  Quarley, Hampshire

  Raw summer honey from the ancient chalk grasslands of Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

• Meon Valley Honey

  Warnford, Hampshire

  Meon Valley Honey produces local honey from apiaries in the Meon Valley area.

• Peak Row Honey

  Homemade honey from a Hampshire beekeeper's own hives; get in touch by email to ask about buying.

• Romsey Bees

  Romsey, Hampshire

  Romsey Bees produces local honey and provides beekeeping services in Hampshire.

• Sticky Sisters Honey

  Bransgore, Hampshire

  Sticky Sisters Honey is a small-batch honey producer at Bransgore on the edge of the New Forest.

• The Hampshire Bee Company

  Alresford, Hampshire

  The Hampshire Bee Company provides honey production and live honey bee removal services across Hampshire.

• The Honey Rustler

  Winchester, Hampshire

  Small-scale artisan producer of raw Hampshire honey, extracted frame by frame for unique flavours.

• The Noble Bee

  Hythe, Hampshire

  The Noble Bee is a Hampshire-based honey producer offering local raw honey.

• Wild Close Bees

  Fordingbridge, Hampshire

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