Journal New Forest Collection
Watsons of Norleywood New Forest Honey
After recently installing several beehives at Bartley Lodge, we couldn’t possibly think of a better fit for this month’s Shop Small Saturday feature.
Watsons of Norleywood New Forest Honey began in 2021 with Krysia Watson. Following in her father’s beekeeping footsteps, they now have around 50 hives located around the New Forest National Park. Each produces a unique honey from their local nectar, so no two apiaries are the same. Presently Krysia’s hives are working on the heather crop, which is a wonderfully deep-tasting honey, believed to have the same number of antioxidants as Manuka Honey, but with far fewer food miles. They are also working on Sedum, Red Valerian, hebes, dahlias, Michaelmas daisies and some ground cover crops such as clovers.
Bees are incredibly important within our ecosystem. Their role as pollinators and producers of honey along with some medical products, holds significant cultural and environmental importance. A proud member of the New Forest Beekeepers Association and New Forest Marque, her passion for beekeeping has Krysia sharing relevant articles and graphics online, as well as attending local fayres and markets.
Not only does Krysia care for all 50 beehives, but she also handcrafts each small batch of honey in her Lymington home, located on the coast of the New Forest. Along with wax beeswax candles, DIY beeswax candle kits, dried hibiscus & green hibiscus oil wax melts and pure comb honey. Due to her nurturing the honey from start to finish, Watsons of Norleywood New Forest Honey is far sweeter than the supermarket standard.
The New Forest is blessed with many talented local beekeepers and we look forward to learning far more about our own hives.
