Garden centre visitors have an increasing appetite for honey after one producer revealed that the outlets were its top selling stores. 

Haughton Honey supplies a range of delis, independent shops and garden centres across the North West and Midlands regions.

But its customers who sell the biggest batches by far are the garden centres, with peak season being from April to October, said bee farmer Cris Reeves who runs the Cheshire-based brand.

Garden centre customers include Walter Smith Fine Food at Bridgemere Garden World near Nantwich in Cheshire, reputedly the largest garden centre in Europe.

“Many garden centres have extensive food areas now and we’ve discovered that visitors seem to have a real appetite for honey,” said Cris (pictured).

“I guess it’s a product that fits in well with the whole ethos of the outdoors, the garden, nature and the environment.

“Honey is also a very versatile and popular product.  It’s not just for putting a buzz in your breakfast by spreading on toast. It has a whole bunch of culinary uses… from sweetening desserts to introducing a special stickiness into certain recipes. It’s also a natural sugar substitute, and hay fever sufferers swear by it as a natural remedy to ease the unpleasant symptoms they suffer.

“We’ve been delighted by how well received Haughton Honey has been since we launched last year and are looking forward to expanding our trade customers as word spreads about our honey.”

Featuring traces of dandelion, chestnut, lime, blackberry, clover and other wildflowers, Haughton Honey is cold extracted to protect the natural enzymes and proteins that make English honey so tasty.

Five pence from the sale of each jar of Haughton Honey is donated to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to help protect bumblebees, and preserve and restore their habitats.

Made by English bees and bottled by Haughton Honey, which is based at Radmore Farm, Haughton, in Cheshire, the brand is probably the most unadulterated honey that you can buy, added Cris.

It is vegetarian friendly, is 100% natural and pure, and is the sweet essential for everyone’s kitchen cupboard.

Cris, who has been a bee farmer for more than ten years, owns 300hives. He is supplementing his supply of honey from apiaries all run by experienced bee-farmers, andnow has more than 1,600 hives in the cooperative, stretching across the North West and the Midlands, including Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

For more details visit www.haughtonhoney.com