Going to the National Honey Show?

[WoodenBeam]

Did you enter any classes this year and hopefully repeat your success of last year?

Not this year Amari - an impromptu trip to collect something shiney
It was also good to meet up with a fellow forum member over a coffee for a general chat, see a few of the traders & pass the time of day. A big shout out to Joyce Nisbet for the loan of a socket set while the firemen were checking out the hall following the evacuation
Never a dull moment

 

[Michael Palmer]

How was the show this year. Any good presentations? Did anyone win the National Honey Show trophy this year?

 

[Gunner]

At local level the shows are much more about encouraging people to enter rather than setting the bar too high. Guess the bar should be higher at a national level.

I think this comment is spot on. Our local show has often been ‘open judged’ with the judge talking us through what they are looking for in each class. More importantly WHY they are looking for a particular standard and always relating it back to maintaining very high quality in selling a product to the public.

We used the local shows as a training ground to learn and improve with the ultimate aim of showing at the National. To get a place at the National is a fantastic achievement.

We now struggle to run local shows due to lack of interest from a lot of the membership. This is a shame and something that my Society needs to go back to the drawing board on and rethink. If we don’t run local shows the danger is people will enter the National not understanding the rules & regulations and the standards required.

I attended yesterday and today and enjoyed looking at exhibits, some of the talks but mostly the networking opportunities with fellow beekeepers.

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

The NHS ended with a pleasant hour listening to Willie Robson chat about his bees and honey. Since it seems acceptable here to talk about one's successes and failures, I entered no honey, wax or mead. Just words. I got first in the Short article (an essay for non-beekeepers) and vhc for our association's newsletter (Medway BKA). Both the same as last year. I hope to have a go at the 2000 words essay next year.

 

[elainemary]

I certainly enjoyed going. I went years ago when it was somewhere I don't remember (age) I had not long started beekeeping and ordered my Giordan drill driven extractor there. It must have been around 2009? Can anybody remember where it was then?The next visit was the first year it was at the racecourse and I really did enjoy the lectures, a couple of workshops and spent too much money at the show.
I really must make it again before I fall off the beekeeping cliff.

Oh don’t do that Dani, lots of enjoyable years to come. Hope to see you there next year.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh don’t do that Dani, lots of enjoyable years to come. Hope to see you there next year.

I’m overdue a visit down that way. I lived in Teddington for 25 years. I’ll drag stan down if u can

 

[Erichalfbee]

The NHS ended with a pleasant hour listening to Willie Robson chat about his bees and honey. Since it seems acceptable here to talk about one's successes and failures, I entered no honey, wax or mead. Just words. I got first in the Short article (an essay for non-beekeepers) and vhc for our association's newsletter (Medway BKA). Both the same as last year. I hope to have a go at the 2000 words essay next year.

Archie you must, just must post these here. Please.

 

[W0otz]

My first NHS today - just attending, no entries. I rather enjoyed it and didn't part with too much money (Thornes order collection aside) - though I was talked into a bottle of Northumberland Honey Co fizzy heather mead (underselling it rather; the taster was very nice!) and I ended up with a snowman candle mould.

 

[Ian123]

I’m overdue a visit down that way. I lived in Teddington for 25 years. I’ll drag stan down if u can

Was it Weybridge back then…..

 

[elainemary]

I think this comment is spot on. Our local show has often been ‘open judged’ with the judge talking us through what they are looking for in each class. More importantly WHY they are looking for a particular standard and always relating it back to maintaining very high quality in selling a product to the public.

We used the local shows as a training ground to learn and improve with the ultimate aim of showing at the National. To get a place at the National is a fantastic achievement.

We now struggle to run local shows due to lack of interest from a lot of the membership. This is How was the show this year. Any good presentations? Did anyone win the National Honey Show trophy this year?

My first NHS today - just attending, no entries. I rather enjoyed it and didn't part with too much money (Thornes order collection aside) - though I was talked into a bottle of Northumberland Honey Co fizzy heather mead (underselling it rather; the taster was very nice!) and I ended up with a snowman candle mould.

Was on my way to buy a sparkling mead from Northumberland when the fire alarm went. Bought frames and a gas vap the day before. After I bought the gasvap I attended an evening event and won a raffle prize of ….you’ve guessed it …a gas vap.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Was it Weybridge back then…..

Yes...that's the one. St Georges College

 

[Erichalfbee]

After I bought the gasvap I attended an evening event and won a raffle prize of ….you’ve guessed it …a gas vap.

Oh well...at least the association will have one
Did you find a home for all the kit in the end?

 

[elainemary]

Oh well...at least the association will have one
Did you find a home for all the kit in the end?

Will sneak it into the bee shed! It’s pretty full tho…

 

[Lynn Nicholls]

I certainly enjoyed going. I went years ago when it was somewhere I don't remember (age) I had not long started beekeeping and ordered my Giordan drill driven extractor there. It must have been around 2009? Can anybody remember where it was then?The next visit was the first year it was at the racecourse and I really did enjoy the lectures, a couple of workshops and spent too much money at the show.
I really must make it again before I fall off the beekeeping cliff.

Probably at St George’s College in Weybridge, only about 5 miles from Sandown Park, Esher?

 

[elainemary]

How was the show this year. Any good presentations? Did anyone win the National Honey Show trophy this year?

Excellent Michael but my first visit, so can’t compare to other years.
I went to an excellent lecture on bee vision by an eye surgeon. Grace McCormack gave updates on her Irish free living bee work which was interesting, but lots more science to do over the next few years.
Saw a couple of lectures on ecology & rewilding, linked to providing more flowers for bees.
Personally, really enjoyed the 2 workshops I attended - making bee anatomy slides (legs, wings and antenna) which brought all the anatomical features I knew about to life. Then a superb workshop with a couple of FIBKA honey judges on preparing honey for show. Learnt masses and will be putting it into action next year
Highly recommend going and taking part - think it’s the 100th show next year so should be special

 

[TomH]

I think this comment is spot on. Our local show has often been ‘open judged’ with the judge talking us through what they are looking for in each class. More importantly WHY they are looking for a particular standard and always relating it back to maintaining very high quality in selling a product to the public.

Interesting, but again not sure ‘show honey’ is what the public wants? Looking online at most of the major uk honey producers, the advertising is almost all all based around the fact the honey is coarse filtered and retains much of its pollen/wax and hence would be a cloudy and not suitable for showing.

In fact, the fine filtering is often a slur that’s thrown at the supermarket honey. I did have a look at the categories but wasn’t sure if there was anything suitable for a coarse filtered honey, but might have missed it.

 

[elainemary]

Interesting, but again not sure ‘show honey’ is what the public wants? Looking online at most of the major uk honey producers, the advertising is almost all all based around the fact the honey is coarse filtered and retains much of its pollen/wax and hence would be a cloudy and not suitable for showing.

In fact, the fine filtering is often a slur that’s thrown at the supermarket honey. I did have a look at the categories but wasn’t sure if there was anything suitable for a coarse filtered honey, but might have missed it.

You’re right - no one has the time to process all their honey into show honey and the top competitors only go to lengths to produce a winning entry on part of their crop to achieve a few selected top jars or exhibits to enter. The judges who led a workshop I attended said their purpose was to raise the bar so honey is fit for sale and showing at a top level is about honing skills and showing what is possible with the craft. The NHS is targeted to beekeepers rather than the public. There are classes in certain shows such as the ‘blacked out jar’
Class where the judges score a product on aroma and taste only. At the NHS they have a ‘urban class’ (strange title!) which again judges on aroma and taste only.

The point of the local shows, is about educating, encouraging entry and having a bit of fun too. Our local show gets rammed with visitors every year and people love asking questions and buying our honey.

Take part; effect change by making suggestions for improvements to your local association, you might enjoy it!

 

[TomH]

Lovely post - thank you! I agree, absolutely nothing wrong with by beekeepers, for beekeepers, as a show case and celebration of the best and what can be achieved. Even if a bit dated/quaint, it's still an excellent public facing opportunity as you suggest.

I would love to give it a go next year, was a little slow off the mark this year and a bit confounded by entry requirements, but can plan ahead for next year now I know a little bit more. The Royal Cornwall Show is the big one down here, along with plenty of other local honey fairs.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

no one has the time to process all their honey into show honey and the top competitors only go to lengths to produce a winning entry on part of their crop to achieve a few selected top jars or exhibits to enter

really?
I've never done much more to prepare my honey for show as I do for sale (just a bit more care in ensuring no scumline around the meniscus and so forth) same goes for a few others I know, we still haven't failed to bring back a decent crop of cards every year - from some of the top NHS judges, including a few NHS blue ribbons.
It's this insistence of trying to make it out to be some kind of dark art is what discourages people just getting into the craft from entering these shows.

 

[Amari]

really?
I've never done much more to prepare my honey for show as I do for sale (just a bit more care in ensuring no scumline around the meniscus and so forth) same goes for a few others I know, we still haven't failed to bring back a decent crop of cards every year - from some of the top NHS judges, including a few NHS blue ribbons.
It's this insistence of trying to make it out to be some kind of dark art is what discourages people just getting into the craft from entering these shows.

Surely you can't win the clear honey = runny honey classes with sieved/coarse filtered honey? All my honey is sieved-only so that it's never totally clear when held up to the light - because of pollen etc. Thus I can't enter these classes. My customers do not want highly filtered honey - it might not help their seasonal hay fever!