Coombe Abbey launches local honey made minutes from hotel
A regional hospitality business has underlined its commitment to trading locally – by stocking honey from bees that harvest pollen and nectar from within its own grounds!
No Ordinary Hospitality Management, which runs Coombe Abbey Hotel and The Avenue at Coombe, is stocking its own-branded honey at The Abbey Artisan Market based at the far end of The Avenue.
The honey – called Honey Coombe – is being purchased from local supplier, Chapelfields Honey, which has several hives in fields within a few hundred metres of Coombe.
Jason Butler, who runs Chapelfields Honey, says the produce could not be more local.
He said: “Bees will fly up to 3km so there is absolutely no doubt that they will be heading over to the grounds of Coombe, helping themselves to the nectar and then bringing it back to the hive to make honey.
“I am able to predict with some accuracy the particular plant or tree they have harvested from, by the colour and taste of the honey – there are so many different varieties of honey based on that.
“It is great that Coombe is now stocking our products, under their own label. It’s such a popular place with families across the whole region and we hope this means they will get to try some truly local honey!”
Jason started keeping bees in 2015 after being encouraged by his mum to do so because of the falling population and the fundamental environmental role they play.
His mum, sadly, passed away in 2021, but Jason wanted to continue with the pastime as a legacy to her. He now has 15 hives in total that can be populated by up to 60,000 bees at any one time.
The business supplies farm shops and independent stores across the region and the customer-base is growing by the day and Jason says visitors to The Avenue at Coombe will recognise the quality of locally-sourced, raw honey.
He said: “We supply it filtered but still raw. That means it keeps its natural flavours and goodness.
“I can’t think of anything better than our honey drizzled over some ice cream or some fruit – it’s an absolute treat!”
Ryan Hobday, Retail Manager, of No Ordinary Hospitality Management, said: “We are committed to sourcing local suppliers and we are thrilled to be working with Chapelfields Honey to create Honey Coombe.
“The Artisan Market is the perfect place to stock locally produced honey, which will sit alongside lots of other regionally-made products. We believe it will be a hit with visitors who may well see some of the bees who are making it while working in the ground and a perfect souvenir for them to take home as a gift!”
