The Great British Honey Scandal / The Observer
Real honey matters.
There’s a lot of fake or adulterated honey out there, and it’s getting harder to tell the difference.
At The Yorkshire Beekeeper, every jar comes from our own hives in the Settle area.
We do the beekeeping (they are our bees!) We extract the honey
We jar it
We label it
And we sell it directly to youNo franchises, no buying-in, no mass-market blends - just genuine, local, independent beekeeping.
Here’s the truth about many honey brands:
Some sell honey that they’ve bought in and branded as their own - but they often don’t know exactly where it came from, what’s been done to it, or if it’s been tampered with.
Others sell honey labelled as “a blend of EU and non-EU honey” - meaning the honey is sourced from multiple countries, often mixed together, sometimes including cheaper or adulterated honey.
If you see a brand stocked in countless shops and markets, it’s unlikely all that honey comes from local hives.
This is why buying directly from the local beekeeper matters - you get genuine, local honey with true provenance, produced ethically by bees in your area.
Why we don’t flood the market:
Because we can’t - ethical beekeeping works with nature. Honey depends on nectar flow, weather, forage, biodiversity, and colony health.
We only extract the excess, keeping colonies healthy and thriving, while supporting wild pollinators and local ecosystems.
Provenance you can trust:
Our honey is never bought-in, blended, rebranded, or sourced from outside our area. If it’s in our jar, it’s from our bees.
What real honey looks like:
Real honey naturally varies - no two batches are exactly the same. Differences happen because of:
Colour Thickness Rate of crystallisation Aroma and flavour Nature isn’t uniform - and neither is real honey.
If you see honey that’s perfectly uniform - identical colour, clarity, and texture - be cautious. That can be a red flag.
Where to buy from us:
On our website: www.theyorkshirebeekeeper.co.uk
Directly from us at carefully selected local markets - it’s always a great opportunity to come and chat to us!When you buy from us, you’re supporting ethical, sustainable beekeeping - genuine local honey, from hive to jar to you.