Simply, honey.
Extracted, lightly filtered and jarred. Natural and unpasteurised, with nothing added.
FROM OUR LITTLE CORNER OF SURREY
A little garden.
A lot of goodness.
Natural Surrey honey. Made by remarkable bees,
cared for by our family, and full of Surrey.
Small batches. Local roots.
Just as the bees intended.
Just as the bees intended.
NOTHING ADDEDJUST LOVELY HONEY
Sunshine, by the spoonful.
HAPPILY MADE IN SURREY · ENJOYED SLOWLY Natural & unpasteurised Always Surrey honey Small-batch goodness Family-run beekeeping
Good things
come in small batches.
01 / THE LATEST HARVESTcome in small batches.
JARRED & READY
Natural, unpasteurised
Surrey honey.
Our summer 2026 honey is here. A little of the wildflowers, gardens and orchards around our Surrey hives, in every golden spoonful.
Summer harvest 2026Natural Surrey honey 340g jarPrice per jar £8.50From our door Guildford collection
Save me a little sunshine
Join our waiting list. Nothing to pay, no obligation.
We’ll get in touch in the order people joined.
A FAMILY, A FEW HIVES & A WHOLE LOT OF CARE
Little by name.
Local by nature.
We’re a family-run beekeeping venture based in Guildford. Our hives sit close to RHS Wisley, surrounded by the gardens, blossom and countryside that make this corner of Surrey so special.
We keep things small so we can give our bees the care they deserve. This summer, we also worked with a good friend and experienced beekeeper, who tends a handful of hives in Guildford with the same care as we do.
Every jar comes from a single apiary. Never mixed between the two. Always a little taste of somewhere real.
Meet the busy little makers
A sense of place.
Traceable to its Surrey apiary, with a character shaped by the flowers and season.
Care in every jar.
Small-scale beekeeping, thoughtful harvesting and a family behind every batch.
REAL HONEY. REAL PROVENANCE.
Honey source
matters.
A jar should contain honey.
And a story you can trace.
When honey is bulked out with cheap sugar syrup, shoppers lose out and honest beekeepers face unfair competition. Investigations into honey authenticity show why knowing where your jar comes from matters.
For us, provenance is personal: local hives, small batches and a family you can speak to about your honey.
Choose a little local goodnessOver 90%
of honey samples bought from major UK retailers were flagged as possibly containing added sugar syrup
THE INDEPENDENT · 2024
Testing for added sugar syrup.
The Honey Authenticity Network commissioned DNA tests to check whether honey bought from major UK retailers was genuine. The Independent reported in November 2024 that more than 90% of those samples were flagged as possibly bulked out with sugar syrup. All five samples from local British beekeepers passed.
Read the investigation46%
of 320 imported honey samples raised suspicions
EUROPEAN COMMISSION · 2023
Questions at the border.
EU testing identified 147 of 320 sampled honey import consignments (46%) as suspected of adulteration. The Commission said that test results need follow-up, including checks on traceability and the supply chain.
Read the original findingsOver 500
laboratory results reviewed, revealing repeated signs of added sugar syrup in some UK supermarket honeys
THE OBSERVER · AUGUST 2025
Repeated signs of added sugar syrup.
The Observer reviewed more than 500 laboratory test results on UK supermarket honey dating back to 2018. Some bestselling honeys repeatedly failed tests designed to detect added sugar syrup. The 500+ counts the results reviewed, not confirmed cases of fake honey. Importers disputed the reliability of the tests.
Read the full storyThese figures relate to the samples and investigations described, not every jar on sale. Suspicious results call for further investigation; testing methods and their interpretation remain contested.
WORTH A LISTEN
The Honey Trap
BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme explores honey fraud, complex supply chains and the pressure on beekeepers.
Know your honey. Know your beekeeper.
Our honey comes from Surrey apiaries, with each jar traceable to a single apiary. For summer 2026, that includes our own hives near RHS Wisley and a good friend’s small Guildford apiary. Choosing The Little Bee Garden supports our small family beekeeping venture.
THE HEART OF OUR LITTLE GARDEN
Meet the makers.
Three hives. Thousands of tiny teammates.
All doing something rather wonderful.
SUNFLOWER HIVE
A little world of wonder.
One of our three carefully tended colonies. From the first spring blossom to the last of summer’s flowers, there’s always work to be done.
Our apiary is on private land, so we can’t offer visits — but we’re always happy to talk bees.
POSTCARDS FROM THE APIARY
A little buzz lately.
FROM THE HIVESSEPTEMBER 2026
Slowing down for autumn.
The colonies are winding down after a long, hot summer. We’re keeping a close eye on them as the leaves start to turn.
Read the field note
We’ll be making sure every hive heads into the cooler months strong. It’s a quieter season at the apiary, with the bees getting themselves ready for autumn.
IN SEASONJUNE 2026
The garden is buzzing.
Spring came in hot and early, and the bees wasted no time getting stuck in. What a lively start to the year.
Read the field note
Now we’re in the middle of a proper heatwave. The girls are working hard and the apiary is absolutely buzzing here in Surrey.
LITTLE MILESTONESMAY 2025
Our very first spring harvest.
Beautiful Surrey weather, a countryside full of flowers, and a special first for our little bee garden.
Read the field note
Our colonies made the most of the spring nectar, and we left plenty of honey for the bees themselves. We also moved our hives close to RHS Wisley, with a wonderful variety of blooms to explore.
Read our full apiary archive · 2024–2026
Notes from our little garden, kept as they were written. Hive numbers, locations and harvest plans describe the time of each update.
September 2026
The bees are getting themselves ready for autumn. The colonies are slowly winding down after a long, hot summer, and we'll be keeping a close eye on them as the leaves start to turn to make sure every hive heads into the cooler months strong.
June 2026
What a season it's been so far! Spring came in hot and early this year, and the bees wasted no time getting stuck in. Now we're right in the middle of a proper heatwave – the girls are working hard and the apiary is absolutely buzzing. Not a huge amount to report beyond that, but it's certainly been a lively start to the year here in Surrey!
February 2026
Popped down to check on the hives this weekend and spotted a few bees out for a quick winter flight. Always lovely to see!
May 2025
Spring Excitement at The Little Bee Garden!
We're absolutely thrilled to announce our first ever spring honey harvest! The beautiful weather in Surrey has created perfect conditions for our busy colonies, and they've certainly made the most of it. The countryside has been bursting with spring flowers, providing abundant nectar for our hardworking bees.
We plan to jar this special spring harvest around the end of June, and we can't wait to share it with you. Rest assured, even with this harvest, we've left plenty of honey for our bees to enjoy themselves.
In other exciting news, we've recently relocated our hives very close to RHS Wisley. This means our bees now have access to not only the lovely natural flowers of the Surrey countryside but also the incredible variety of blooms in the beautiful Wisley gardens. We're hoping this diverse floral landscape will contribute to an exceptional summer harvest.
Most of all, we're simply buzzing with excitement to taste this amazing spring honey - our very first! We look forward to sharing this special milestone with all our customers.
May 2025
Our colonies at The Little Bee Garden have been busy in this lovely May weather! The honey supers are filling up beautifully across all our hives, with Primrose Hive leading the way this season. Sunflower Hive isn't far behind, while both Daisy and Lavender Hives are also making excellent progress. It's wonderful to see how the bees are making the most of the spring nectar flow from the surrounding Surrey countryside. Each colony has its own personality – Daisy Hive was particularly calm during my visit, while Lavender Hive's residents were feeling a bit more protective of their home that day! This is the time of year when colonies are at their most vibrant, with an abundance of wild flowers and tree blossom across the area. The bees are clearly enjoying this diverse range of flora, and it's reflected in the complex flavours developing in this season's honey harvest. We're blessed with such biodiversity here in Surrey, and the bees are certainly making the most of it!
April 2025
Spring has arrived in full bloom at The Little Bee Garden! Our four hives are building up beautifully in numbers. The bees are particularly active around the orchard blossoms, busily collecting nectar while performing the essential pollination that will hopefully help the orchard have a bountiful apple harvest later this year. This symbiotic relationship between our bees and trees is one of nature's most beautiful partnerships! 🐝🌼
March 2025
Exciting developments this month as we've relocated our hives to the magnificent grounds of the Harry Edwards Foundation in the heart of the Surrey Hills. This new location provides our bees with access to diverse wildflower and woodland edges. We're grateful to the foundation for this partnership that benefits both our bees and their beautiful landscape through improved pollination.
February 2025
We're thrilled to report that all our hives have successfully survived the winter months! This is always a critical milestone in the beekeeping year. The queens are starting to build up the colony numbers, and we've observed our industrious foragers bringing in vibrant yellow and orange pollen to produce protein-rich bee bread for feeding the young. These early spring activities indicate strong, healthy colonies ready for the productive months ahead.
October 2024
Our hives are ready for winter, it's now super important to leave the colonies alone and and come back in the spring to see how they have got on. Dont worry we like to pop back through the winter to check the hive weights through a process called hefting, it is a great and non intrusive way to check they still have enough stores.
FROM THE HIVE TO THE KITCHEN
Good honey.
Very good company.
Three recipes from BBC Good Food, chosen for their honey flavour and ingredients readily available in UK supermarkets. Bring a jar of good, pure honey to the table.
FOR THE CAKE TIN
Devonshire
honey cake
A comforting teatime bake with honey in the sponge and a sticky honey finish. Put the kettle on.
- Honey at its heart
- 250g clear honey, plus about 2 tbsp to glaze.
- In your shopping basket
- Unsalted butter, dark muscovado sugar, large eggs and self-raising flour.
Our honey tip Choose a honey you love by the spoonful — its flavour gets a second outing in the glaze.
BBC Good Food · Geraldene HoltRead the recipe
FOR THE SUNDAY TABLE
Honey-glazed
carrots
A simple roast-dinner side where honey brings a golden glaze and vinegar keeps the sweetness balanced.
- Honey at its heart
- 2 tbsp clear honey.
- In your shopping basket
- Chantenay or other small carrots, sunflower oil and white wine vinegar. Choose British-grown carrots when available.
Our honey tip Use a flavourful pure honey for the glaze, and follow the recipe’s timing so its sugars don’t catch.
BBC Good Food · Sara BuenfeldRead the recipe
FOR A LITTLE INDULGENCE
Honey yogurt
cheesecake
A creamy, citrus-scented pudding with honey in the filling and a final drizzle to let its character shine.
- Honey at its heart
- 250ml honey, with about 3 tbsp of it reserved for serving.
- In your shopping basket
- Digestive biscuits, flaked almonds, butter, Greek yogurt, mascarpone, eggs, lemon, orange and fresh fruit.
Our honey tip A floral honey is lovely here. The recipe suggests orange blossom; try your favourite local honey for the finishing drizzle.
BBC Good Food · Good Food teamRead the recipe
A little jar know-how. If your honey has crystallised, gently soften the closed jar in warm water before measuring. Follow the linked recipes for full quantities, methods and dietary information.
A FEW SWEET ANSWERS
Good to know.
Curious about crystallisation?
Wondering how to get a jar?
You’re in the right place.
How does the waiting list work?
Email us your name and how many jars you’d ideally like. We work through requests in the order people joined, then get in touch to arrange collection. There’s nothing to pay to join and no obligation to buy.
Where does your honey come from?
Our own hives are close to RHS Wisley. For summer 2026, we also worked with a good friend’s small apiary in Guildford. Each jar comes from a single apiary — we never mix honey between the two.
What does natural and unpasteurised mean?
Our honey is extracted, lightly filtered to remove wax, and jarred. It isn’t pasteurised, and we don’t add anything to it.
Why has my honey crystallised?
Crystallisation is a natural process in honey. To soften it, stand the closed jar in warm water and stir gently afterwards. Avoid boiling water or microwaving.
Do you deliver, or is it collection?
It’s collection from Guildford, arranged with us by email in advance. We don’t currently offer delivery. We’ll confirm collection details when your honey is ready.
How should I store my honey?
Keep the lid closed and store in a cool, dry cupboard away from direct sunlight. There’s no need to refrigerate it.
Is honey suitable for young children?
Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months because of the risk of infant botulism. This applies to all honey, including cooked or pasteurised honey.
Can you help with a swarm or a nest?
We don’t collect swarms or remove established nests. For a honey bee swarm, contact Surrey Bees to find local help. A nest in a roof, wall or chimney needs a specialist bee removal service.
Does local honey help with hay fever?
Many of our customers swear by local honey during hay fever season. While those personal experiences are encouraging, scientific evidence that eating local honey relieves hay fever is limited, so we can’t promise it will help. At the very least, it’s a delicious way to enjoy a little taste of Surrey.
FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOUR TABLE
Life’s a little sweeter
when you keep it local.
Put me on the honey list No rush. No obligation. Just lovely honey.