This time of the year is quiet for the bees, they spend most of the time clustered inside their hives keeping warm. On the few bright days we have had recently there have been a few bees nipping out to relieve themselves, but they quickly zip back into the hive.

I have been tying up our boxes of cut comb ready for Christmas – I think they make a lovely gift. My favourite way to eat it is to spread a chunk on to some hot toast to enjoy with a big mug of tea …. Mmmmmm!

When we extract the honey it isn’t jarred straight away. First  we leave it to settle for a few days in a large stainless steel tank. This allows any air bubbles to rise to the top, making a scum on the surface which can then be skimmed off. This scum is perfectly edible, so we put it into our large honey pots that live on our kitchen worktop. It feels so luxurious having honey permanently on standby!