We thought we knew a lot about bees and honey – that is until we spent an afternoon with two of the Marque’s fabulous beekeepers!

Staff members from the Marque and the New Forest National Park Authority learned all about honeybees and how delicious New Forest honey is made.

Huge thanks to Marcus of Lakeside Bee Services and Krysia of Watsons of Norleywood for an amazing experience. Our hosts were Careys Manor Hotel, where Marcus has two hives in the grounds.

If you want to buy local honey, go on a bee experience, or just learn more about beautiful bees, get in touch with:

Lakeside Bee Services | New Forest Marque

Watsons of Norleywood Honey | New Forest Marque

The New Forest is blessed with beekeepers whose hives sit in secluded spots across the ancient woodlands and wide, open heathlands of the National Park: beekeepers whose bees forage on the wildflowers, heathers, and rare plants of the Forest’s special landscape.

Each pot of pure, golden honey can be traced back to a specific hive or apiary and has a unique flavour, with a complex taste reflective of the flora of the area and time of year in which it was produced. This natural honey is an altogether different product than most of the honey found on supermarket shelves, which tends to be imported, processed, and often contains very little honey produced by bees.

When you pop open a jar of locally-produced honey, you are not only treating yourself to a little bit of luxury but also supporting small-scale businesses intrinsically linked to the local landscape.

It is easy to find local honey thanks to the New Forest Marque, a not-for-profit scheme which champions local food, drink and craft producers and sellers. Only products with clearly defined New Forest provenance are awarded the Marque. The Marque has 10 members who produce natural honeys, plus many also offer a range of high-quality bee products such as beeswax candles and luxury skincare.

Look for honey products with the distinctive New Forest Marque logo to help support your local community or browse the Marque website for a list of local honey producers and retailers.

The New Forest Marque, supported by the New Forest National Park Authority, also works to protect, encourage, and promote traditional farming practices which help fashion the iconic landscape found in the New Forest.