As you may have noticed in January of this year we ( after a few hurdles) launched a range of Premium Raw Greek honeys curated from around Greece. We entered all 6 in the Great Taste Awards. (We did not enter any of our spectacular Portuguese Range because to be honest they have already won so many awards and have a loyal following we thought we'd give them a rest this year ).

Out of 6 honeys entered, four of them won stars, including the Elegant and bold Kalymnos Thyme honey, a one way sensory teleportation machine to the Aegean Islands.  The Oregano and Lavender, Vanilla Fir and Arbutus and Heather all won a star each. Congratulations to the Beekeepers, especially Isabella.

I have to say with all due respect to the judges at Great Taste, I think they must have had palate exhaustion or taken leave of their senses temporarily, because the Red Fir and Pine honey won nothing! . The Red Fir honey is one of the most elegant, rich, sensuous beautiful honeys we have ever sold. The mouthfeel alone is a sensation to experience. Still I forgive them this time, we all make mistakes :) and everyone deserves a second chance, even the illustrious judges at great taste.

I recently returned from my summer buying trip to Portugal and have, in over a decade, never seen it so bad. As a consequence we have a very limited amount of Eucalyptus, Algarvian Thyme and Algarvian Heather honey. We are still waiting on the Chestnut honey from the north which is being taken this month, fingers crossed.

The Bad News- Honey we should always remember is a product of nature and the progressive loss of habitat, severe drought conditions continuing for many years, Forest fires , EMF stressors like 4 and particularly 5G towers, in addition to the ongoing stresses of Varroa mites and now Asian Hornet invasions in Northern Portugal has created something like a perfect storm for bees and  honey production this year with many beekeepers just throwing in the towel.

There is always a little good news too and this year it came in meeting some new beekeepers, particularly the fabulous Nunes brothers, both in their early 40's, strong, super-capable and knowledgeable and all round serious pro's. I am very grateful to have met and spent time with them, chewing over the state of the world and of course tasting (and buying) their superb honey.

Whatever you're notions about the reasons for the weather, and your personal philosophical predilections about diet, you need honeybees, we all do. If not for them and the people who care for them and love them, we would all starve.

We urge you, if you have a garden or land or are farming to make habitat for bees and wild pollinators. Leave water out for them too. If you come across an exhausted bee, feed her. These wonderful little beings who do so much for us literally work themselves to death. We are so conjoined with them and our relationship is so profound, that every single thing they produce from Honey to Wax to Propolis is of unique benefit to humans. They actually share their food with us, I don't know of any other creature that does that. Blessings to all. XR