Why We Only Sell Raw Honey (And What That Really Means)
At Eden Honey Bees, we produce small batches of raw, unpasteurised honey from our own apiaries across North Shropshire.
But what exactly does raw honey mean?
Although the term appears on plenty of honey jars, it isn't always clearly explained. Generally, raw honey is honey that hasn't been heat-treated or heavily filtered after harvesting, preserving its natural characteristics.
Our honey is extracted from the comb and gently strained to remove pieces of wax and other debris, without heating or ultra-filtration. Our single-apiary honeys are then jarred separately, preserving the distinctive colour, flavour, and character of each harvest.
We also produce Soft Set Honey, bringing together honey from several of our apiaries. This is carefully worked over three to four days, without heating or adding anything, to create an exceptionally smooth, spreadable texture.
What Raw Honey Actually Means
Raw honey is generally understood to be honey that hasn't been pasteurised or subjected to excessive heat or ultra-filtration.
Because it undergoes minimal treatment, raw honey retains naturally occurring enzymes, pollen particles, and other components that are present when it comes from the hive.
It also retains the natural variations in colour, flavour, and texture that make honey from different locations and seasons so distinctive.
Raw honey can be runny, naturally crystallised, or carefully worked into a soft-set consistency. Its texture doesn't determine whether it's raw; how the honey has been handled is what matters.
Why Raw Honey Crystallises
Honey naturally crystallises over time as glucose forms crystals within it. This is completely normal and doesn't mean the honey has spoiled or lost any of its quality.
Some honeys crystallise quickly, particularly spring honey, while others remain runny for much longer. The difference largely depends on the natural balance of glucose and fructose in the honey.
Crystallisation can produce different textures, from fine and creamy to much firmer or coarser crystals.
Our Soft Set Honey takes this natural process a step further. By carefully working crystallised honey over three to four days, we create an exceptionally fine, smooth texture that stays soft and spreadable at room temperature.
If you prefer runny honey, naturally crystallised honey can be gently warmed in warm (not hot) water to dissolve the crystals.
Honey Should Reflect the Season
One of the things we value most about raw honey is how it changes throughout the year.
The colour, flavour, and texture depend on which flowers the bees have been collecting nectar from. In North Shropshire, this can include blossom, hedgerow flowers, clover, lime, and many other sources, depending on the season.
Each harvest has its own character. Some honeys are lighter and more floral, while others are darker and richer, reflecting the landscape and the time of year in which they were produced.
For our single-apiary honeys, we preserve those differences by keeping each harvest separate rather than blending them together.
For us, that natural variation is part of what makes locally produced honey so interesting.
How We Handle Honey at Eden Honey Bees
All our honey comes from our own colonies across North Shropshire, where we harvest in small batches throughout the season.
Once extracted from the comb, the honey is gently strained to remove pieces of wax and other debris. We don't pasteurise or ultra-filter our honey, and nothing is added.
For our Spring, Blossom, and Himalayan Balsam honeys, we keep each apiary's harvest separate, preserving its individual character and provenance.
We also make use of honey recovered from the wax cappings during extraction, carefully working it into our smooth, spreadable Soft Set Honey.
Our approach is to handle the honey carefully, preserve its natural qualities, and make the most of what our bees produce.
When Our Honey Is Available
Honey production in the UK is highly seasonal, and the main honey flow can be surprisingly short.
Most of our honey is harvested during late spring and summer, when nectar flows are strong. Outside these periods, colonies are usually building their own stores rather than producing surplus honey.
We only harvest what the bees can comfortably spare, so the quantities we produce each year are relatively small. Once a batch sells out, there may be a wait until the next harvest.
That's just the nature of small-scale beekeeping and seasonal honey production.
Where to Find Our Honey
Our honey is available to order directly through our online shop, with delivery across the UK and local delivery available in parts of Shropshire.
Selected varieties are also stocked by a small number of independent farm shops, delis, and village stores across Shropshire.
You can explore our current stockists here:
Or browse the honey currently available to order:
Availability changes throughout the season, with different harvests released in small batches.
A Simple Approach to Honey
For us, producing raw honey is about respecting the natural qualities of what our bees produce.
Whether we're keeping individual apiary harvests separate or carefully working honey into a soft-set consistency, the principles remain the same: no pasteurisation, no unnecessary processing and nothing added.
The bees do the hard work. Our job is to look after them, handle their honey with care and make the most of every harvest.