Cornish Honeycomb 50% Milk

Cornish Honey

In the springtime the Cornish hedgerows hum with the sound of bees doing their good work, so we looked for a Cornish beekeeper who could supply us with some delicious local honey from which to make our honeycomb.

Meeting Matt Pitt was a revelation to us. Not only could he readily supply the goods, he also came with an abundance of bee expertise and knowledge that turned our foodie interest into bee-vangelical fervour.

Matt keeps Cornish Black Bees and is working hard to support and encourage their colonies to repopulate Cornwall. This breed of honeybee is naturally resilient to our climate, but numbers have significantly declined, largely due to human interference.

It’s estimated that there are now half the number of bees in the UK that were here just 20 years ago. Threats include non-traditional beekeeping methods and hive transportation that stress the colonies, the importation of non-native bees along with pests and diseases, and the loss of most of our wildflower meadows.