Buckfastleigh · Devon
Twelve colonies on the edge of the moor, a hundred and fifty metres from the barn where the honey is jarred. Unblended, unpasteurised, and different every year because the moor is.
Sold direct from the gate and by post — email us for what is in stock.
How to orderThe honey
What the bees find changes from spring to late summer, so the crop comes off in three lots rather than being mixed into one jar.
Hawthorn, sycamore and orchard blossom from the valley. Pale, soft-set and mild — the one for toast.
Clover, bramble and willowherb off the hedgerows. Runny, deep gold, and the biggest crop of the year.
Ling heather from the open moor. Thick, jellied and faintly smoky. A small crop, and the first to go.
Our bees
We have kept bees on the lip of the moor above Buckfastleigh since 2023, a hundred and fifty metres from the barn. The colonies work the valley hedgerows through early summer and the open heather from August, which is why no two years taste the same.
Every hive stands on a scale and carries its own sensors. Weight, temperature, humidity and sound are logged continuously, so we can tell a colony that is gathering from one that is swarming or going hungry without cracking the lid and chilling the brood. Fewer inspections, calmer bees, and we know the day the heather flow starts rather than guessing at it.
Honey is extracted cold, coarse-strained to take the wax out, and jarred without pasteurising or ultra-filtering. It will granulate in the cupboard — that is honey behaving properly. Stand the jar in warm water and it comes back.
Ordering
Everything is sold direct at the moment. Tell us which honey and how many jars, and we will confirm what is in stock and how to pay.
Collect from Buckfastleigh by arrangement. No postage, and you get to meet the bees if you want to.
Packed in a moulded pulp insert that keeps the glass whole, anywhere in mainland UK.
Shops and farm stalls around Buckfastleigh and Ashburton — get in touch for trade prices.
Write to us
moorhoney@moorbees.co.ukWe read it every day and usually answer the same evening. Through July and August, give us two.