Our black honey

On the Barnston Estate this year we've had an exceptionally rare honey harvest with one of our hives producing honey almost black in colour.

This unusual deep colouration is thought to not be due to the species of the bee, but rather what our bees have been foraging on.

During dry spells, sap-sucking insects feed on ancient oak, beech and chestnut trees and secret a sugary substance called honeydew.

The result is our bees collect this honeydew instead of traditional flower nectar. This rare process creates ‘honeydew honey’ or ‘forest honey’ which is rich in antioxidant polyphenols but still absolutely delicious.