"It all started in 2022 when bees came up in conversation with my dad and we realised we were both fascinated by them. To my surprise, he then booked us on a beekeeping course which taught us the importance of bees in nature and about their declining numbers. We also discovered that honey is the second most tampered-with food in the world. An article in The Observer reported that 100% of UK honey sampled in an EU investigation failed the authenticity test.

      Beekeeping seemed impossible because of our busy schedules, but we still went on to start our own colonies - intially just Dad and me, but before long my mum and brothers became equally fascinated and involved.

      We love bees and we value their role in nature, and we also love tasting honey made by our own colonies. When the time came for our first harvest, we weren’t sure which method to use. We read countless articles and watched LOTS of YouTube videos, and it became clear that whilst I dreamt of delicious honey, my parents saw a potentially sticky disaster.   So, they did what any sensible adult would do and covered everything just in case.  I’m sure at one point my little brother was covered in newspaper!   However the smell of fresh beeswax and honey filled the air as we watched the golden honey flow from the frames, through a sieve and into a bucket - and luckily the sticky mess was limited to our faces, hands, elbows and feet. I don’t think they noticed the blob that somehow made its way into one brother’s bedroom; I figured that was best left as a surprise!  The honey tasted incredible - sweeter and richer than anything I’d ever had from a shop.

      Looking after my bees has taught me to be patient, responsible and dedicated.  Bees don’t just make honey - they play a vital role in our ecosystem. Without them as pollinators, many of the foods we eat wouldn’t exist, and the environment would suffer greatly."