Top Dollar

[ericbeaumont]

One would think the BBKA would promote something like a "British Local Honey mark" to distinguish small beekeeper apiary jarred honey from "more commercial" offerings

Article in The Grocer discussing honey fraud told the story of The Scottish Bee Co. which went to the trouble of gaining a BSI Kitemark; apparently 95% of customers would be more likely to buy a product bearing the Kitemark.

Accreditation involved the expense of NMR testing but discovered that their heather honey had ten times the manganese content of ordinary honey. Manganese is good for the human body and they use the info. in promoting their products as far away as Japan.

The BSI info. tells us that the Kitemark leads to improved confidence in the product and in sales. The testing is carried out by BSI partner FERA and these are the BSI nuts and bolts:

Agree a protocol for Kitemark programme
Complete and submit the application form
Gap assessment (optional)
Agree a date for the Kitemark site assessment
Install compliance sample testing protocol
VerifEye™ site profile completion
Kitemark licence issue/annual renewal
Ongoing monitoring (via test results)
Kitemark site assessment

 

[Mint Bee]

These days, shipping is not a possibility from many small European companies to individual buyers (thanks Brexit).
Still, T won't have been paying individual carriage prices and I doubt they paid retail for the products, so a good mark-up.

My original point was that the blog post has probably been 100% instrumental in the churner being sold out. Not to mention that DJE himself suggested to the company they market to England and gave them the names of popular suppliers.
How many people here had heard of this way of creaming honey in a single session, whereas this product has been used in Germany for over a decade.

for anyone interested in trying the churner out and avoiding any European delays or surcharges, Gill has more available on-line

 

[Erichalfbee]

for anyone interested in trying the churner out and avoiding any European delays or surcharges, Gill has more available on-line

I have just churned my first 15lb bucket. Looks ok. Tastes fine. It was a doddle to do. Had to borrow A drill to do it.

 

[pargyle]

I have just churned my first 15lb bucket. Looks ok. Tastes fine. It was a doddle to do. Had to borrow A drill to do it.

Best put it back in Stans pile of tools otherwise he won't know where it's gone when he looks for it ... just found my electrical pliers in the bottom of the washing basket and blamed 'er indoors .... just as well I'm off to work in a minute or two or the look would have turned me to stone .... not my best move - brain disconnected from gob I think ... note to self - must do better, only 49 years marriage come August - still learning.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Don’t worry it’s back where I found it. Much cleaner though
One of those heavy things with an extra handle. And I’m only little. I thought the bucket was going to take off across the floor!

 

[B+.]

Fair dos
If they can get people to pay that for their botanical honey why not!

Perhaps we should all invite Nigel Slater to open a hive. If it means we can charge £28/Lb for it, I'm happy for him to open one of mine!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Perhaps we should all invite Nigel Slater to open a hive.

I liked him in 'the young ones' but he drifted into obscurity after that

 

[gmonag]

Nigel Planer
...but you knew that

 

[Apple]

Nigel Planer
...but you knew that

Sniffing all the Hippy drugs confiscated causing early memory loss maybe?

 

[holmbee]

for anyone interested in trying the churner out and avoiding any European delays or surcharges, Gill has more available on-line

Quite correct - Gill does have some. However the German manufacturer is not willing to send further stock outside the EU due to Brexit. Just another EU supplier not willing to fight the paperwork, customs and VAT.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sniffing all the Hippy drugs confiscated causing early memory loss maybe?

I remember years ago when I was stationed at Cardiff, the Queen's Warehouse was at Avonmouth, and at the time, after a few good maritime jobs in the SW Approaches, we had nigh on ten tons of high class herbal and resin cannabis there. the high risk stuff (drugs, gold etc) was kept in a massive strongroom which was within the secure confines of the QW I had to call in to collect fifty Kilos of cocaine that I had to take to the Government Chemist at Teddington for testing and forensics.
The queen's Warehousekeeper had his office within the main warehouse I was let in, ad even in the outer building the stench of dope was overpowering. I found the QW keeper sat in his cubicle, beatific smile on his face - stoned out of his tiny little mind! Someone had to take him home and he couldn't drive for a good few days.

 

[jeff33]

Precisely ... the law probably has a legal definition of the word raw ... and I suspect you are probably right - somewhere in there will be the word uncooked or untreated ....

In the meantime before anyone institutes and loses a case on the word Raw ... My customers understand what raw means in relation to honey and it is one more weapon in our beekeeping armory for heightening the exclusivity of the product our bees provide.

Talking about raw, had the trading standards requesting for me to send them my label to ensure it was legal. The lady came back to me saying it had all the legal requirements but I needed to remove the term Raw as the ACTSO opinion advises that the term Raw is misleading. I politely told her that opinions and advice are not a legal requirement and as I have 1000 printed labels I will use these. I have also added on the label that my honey is unprocessed and twice filtered. Don't know how that can be misleading.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Talking about raw, had the trading standards requesting for me to send them my label to ensure it was legal. The lady came back to me saying it had all the legal requirements but I needed to remove the term Raw as the ACTSO opinion advises that the term Raw is misleading. I politely told her that opinions and advice are not a legal requirement and as I have 1000 printed labels I will use these. I have also added on the label that my honey is unprocessed and twice filtered. Don't know how that can be misleading.

Very interesting. What was their reaction?

 

[jeff33]

Very interesting. What was their reaction?

No reply as yet Dani. They also asked for the infant warning to be on.

 

[Repwoc]

had the trading standards requesting for me to send them my label to ensure it was legal.

It is interesting. Did they just call you out of the blue? Presumably they hadn't seen your label or why ask for one. Has someone complained?

 

[Erichalfbee]

No reply as yet Dani. They also asked for the infant warning to be on.

I wonder how many people have that. I don’t perhaps it’s best that I should but I don’t think it’s a legal requirement

 

[jeff33]

It is interesting. Did they just call you out of the blue? Presumably they hadn't seen your label or why ask for one. Has someone complained?

Yes they did, they called me. Probably for something to do while everything is shut!!! I wondered myself how and why, not sure.

 

[jeff33]

I wonder how many people have that. I don’t perhaps it’s best that I should but I don’t think it’s a legal requirement

Yes I don't think it is, she didn't stipulate that bit. I only put it as I had empty space on the label.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It is interesting. Did they just call you out of the blue? Has someone complained?

I think it's just Neath Port Talbot and Swansea council have a bit of a honey seller obsession, they sent a round robin out last year saying they required anyone who sold honey to register as a food prepartion premises, then Covid hit and they haven't been able to inspect premises (if, like most, they work from their own kitchens) so they are reduced to doing telephone consultations which, to be honest many authorities have been doing for a few years with 'low risk' premises.
It's an easy tick in the box for them.

 

[jeff33]

I think it's just Neath Port Talbot and Swansea council have a bit of a honey seller obsession, they sent a round robin out last year saying they required anyone who sold honey to register as a food prepartion premises, then Covid hit and they haven't been able to inspect premises (if, like most, they work from their own kitchens) so they are reduced to doing telephone consultations which, to be honest many authorities have been doing for a few years with 'low risk' premises.
It's an easy tick in the box for them.

Sounds exactly like that. I registered for my food prep rating on the back of the email sent to the association. They may have picked up my details from there.