Happy New Year 2016!

Wishing you all a Fantastic 2016. May all your dreams be realised! The Hive Honey Shop London.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas. Ho Ho Ho!

Christmas Day we all volunteer at 2015 Rotary Club CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH, Battersea Park

Christmas is the time of giving and the Hamill beekeeping family will be doing just that! Each year they give up their Christmas Day to volunteer at various charity events around the capital. This year they will be doing volunteer work at the 2015 Rotary Club CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH AND TEA PARTY FOR THE ELDERLY OF WANDSWORTH. Around 400 people attend the lunch each year and it is all completely free - guests do not pay a penny. The Rotary Club who organise the event rely entirely on the commitment of volunteers. In fact without volunteers being there to help on Christmas Day the Party could not go ahead. Us joining in is our way of saying Happy Christmas to elderly people in Wandsworth.

The duties involve being at the venue by 8.30am on Christmas Morning; going out on a bus with a professional driver and helping the guests from their homes onto the bus and safely back to the venue as well as the home run which will start at around 4.30pm. 

OTHER VOLUNTEERING JOBS INCLUDE:

• Making fresh sandwiches as a take away supper for our guests.

• Help is needed in the kitchen working with the chefs to prepare lunch.

• Bring good cheer with a happy Christmassy welcome when the guests arrive.

• Serve tea and coffee and, later on, sherry before lunch.

• Help serve lunch – no joke when 450+ full 3-course Christmas dinners need to arrive on the table at the   

same time hot and delicious.

• Serve a glass or two of wine with lunch.

• Help clear tables and help with the washing-up

• Help the elderly guests enjoy the afternoon’s entertainment – dancing, sing-alongs and bingo. Chat with a friendly person, be there for them.

• Clear tables at the end of the day and ensure the marquee and kitchens are left spotless.

Often elderly people are neglected at Christmas time. So whatever support and help you can offer over this holiday period will make a big difference to someone alone. We hope that you will join us to put this right.

Merry Christmas from all of us at The Hive Honey Shop!

Found- lost crates of honeypots. Not seen the light of day for over 20 years.

We were cleaning a far corner of our attic and deep behind boxes of paper work we uncovered five crates of long lost honeypots. They are part of our family collection and have not seen the light of day for over 20 years. It was like finding the ark! So many vintage, rare honeypots and bee related items. It was a fun day unwrapping them from old bleached newspaper, reading the articles and blowing off the dust.

We have just spend the last few days photographing them and have unloaded many for sale on our website tonight. So I hope you get the chance to admire some before they are sold off. Many are one offs or of a very high standard, named makers or steeped in history.

Our Xmas Street Fair this Saturday 28th November!!

Our shop Road, Northcote Road, hosts its popular, annual, festive market event this year on Saturday 28th November from 10am-5pm.

Filled with gifts, family entertainment, live music & Santa in his grotto! See the pavements lined with Christmas trees, as well as visiting stalls joining the wonderful selection of market traders, selling everything from fashion to food, from toys to Turkish towels, and from door wreaths to decorations, plus so much more! 

NEW to the event this year, will be the extension of the event to sister shopping street in SW11: Webbs Road, which will host fairground rides for children & adults, more stalls inside two giant marquees and plenty of mulled wine & street food sellers, to keep tootsies & tummies warm! 

The Hive Honey Shop- Come and meet our Greek beekeepers who supply us with amazing Greek Fir honey and Greek Thyme honey. They will be outside the shop giving away free tastings. New honey arrival will be Greek Raw Pine Honey, deep green colour, superb taste!  Come down and join in the festive fun.

The largest most extensive honey show in the UK is here!

The National Honey Show 29th October - 31st October at St George's College, Weybridge Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2QS. Celebrating it’s 84th year.

This is the show for professional honey exhibitors, honey shops, and beekeepers from all over the world who flock here for the chance to win one of the many silver cups steeped in history and tradition. Wednesday night people from all over lined up to check in their honeys for the competition. We were one of those in line. Yesterday was the official first day and the winners will be revealed.

The show caters for all interested in honey, bees and beekeeping. There are trade stands selling beekeeping equipment, giftware and more. Lectures are timed throughout the day with restaurant facilities to relax and catch your breath. The halls are filled with hundreds of jars of gleaming honeys in amazing colours and textures. There are 252 entry classes ranging from comb honey, beeswax, decorative exhibits, practical invention, honey beer, meads, just far to many to name here. This event attracts the best beekeepers serious about competing. It’s no wonder we were sweating after we prepared and handed over our entries. All will be revealed shortly. Fingers crossed.

So make a beeline to this annual event not to be missed.

Opening Times
Thursday 29th October: Lectures and Restaurant - 09:00 - 18:00
Trade Show - 12:00 - 18:00, Honey Show - 14:00 - 18:00
Friday 30th October: Lectures, Restaurant, Trade Show and Honey Show - 09:00 - 18:00
Saturday 31st October: Lectures, Restaurant, Trade Show and Honey Show - 09:00 - 16:30

Admission
Daily admission £15.00 for non–members which can only be purchase at the show.

Purchase Membership £15.00 - members are entitled to FREE admission for all three days.

Accompanied children, 16 yrs and under, FREE.

Trade Show
The public can buy beekeeping equipment from the trade show located in the college's sports hall and Woburn hall from 12:00 on Thursday 29th October 2015. The public have free admission to the trade show over the three days (see opening times).

NHS History
The first ‘National Show of Bees & Honey’ was held in 1923 at the original Crystal Palace, Sydenham, London. There were no shows during the period of the Second World War. The show continues to be held each year in October.

The Crystal Palace Cup
The trustees of the Crystal Palace generously offered a cup for competition and the show was held annually at the Crystal Palace until 1936. Within a month of that show a fire completely destroyed our equipment and the whole building.

Then the class was for 12 sections, 12 jars each of light, medium, dark or granulated honey and 1lb of beeswax. By 1929 it was awarded to individuals and required 6 jars (in pairs of light, medium, dark or granulated) and 2 sections. In 1931 the class was altered again to 9 jars and 3 sections. The present class 4 was created in 1948 to jars (3 each of light, medium and naturally crystallised) and 1 shallow frame of honey for extraction.

The first winners of the cup in 1923 were Medway & County BKA (Kent). There have, however, been several notable winners of the cup who have taken it on more than one occasion. Whilst it was still an Association trophy until 1929, Gloucester BKA won it on three occasions in 1925/27. Individuals who have won it on three or more occasions include Wessex Apiaries (1947/9), John Sturdy (1962/4), John Read (4 times 1965/8), John Ramsey (1971/2 & 1974), Mr & Mrs Jim Orton (1976/7 & 1980).

The most outstanding winner to date is the late Mr Jim Watson of Warwickshire who won the cup on ten occasions, in 1973, 1975, 1981, and then for seven successive years 1983/89. Whether this achievement will ever be surpassed, we can only wait and see.

The prize money for the cup has been endowed in Jim’s memory for 25 years by the Warwickshire BKA.

Twitter Prize Draw Winner picks up her hamper!

Heres a photo from last night when Jess, Twitter Prize Draw Winner picked up her free £50 luxury honey hamper. She was VERY pleased! Keep and eye on both our twitter and Facebook sites for more free honey, gift give aways.
@hivehoneyshop