Brockley Honey: Robust and flowery, like the people

"Bees make honey and jelly? How come nothing humans make tastes good?"
- Fry, Futurama

We were tipped off about Brockley honey, by former Moonbow Jakes proprietor, John. He simply wrote:

"I was in Shop on the Hill buying veg when the lady delivering Brockley Honey came in with her supply. All I can say, having bought a jar, is it is fabulous and I recommend it to all."

Obviously, that was our cue to get in touch with Camilla Goddard, whose bees produce the stuff. In an interview today, she told us:

"I've been producing honey in South East London for some time, but this is my first year producing honey in Brockley. I live locally so when some land became available on Wickham Road, I took up the option to create an apiary.

"There are ten hives on the site and each is home to more than 30,000 bees. That's enough to create a small quantity of honey, which is sold at The Broca Food Market and The Shop on the Hill. The spring honey is out now, but there will be some summer honey coming very soon.

"Brockley honey has a robust taste, with a lovely flowery aftertaste. It's very different from the Greenwich honey I make.

"The bees fly in a 3 mile radius from the hive, so if your readers see any honey bees in their back garden, the chances are, they are from the Wickham Road apiary. You can help the bees by planting flowers. Crocuses are great in the early part of the year, lavendar, rosemary and in particular red or yellow flowers - the bees love them. People with pollen allergies could benefit from locally-produced honey.

"It's not really a commercial enterprise but I grew up on a farm and it always amazes me that there aren't more bees in the city. With numbers declining, I set it up as a conservation project, first and foremost."

"If anyone sees the bees swarming, please feel free to give me a call on 0207 638 6581 or 07984 682417 . I'll also be launching a website about the honey soon, called Capital Bee.