From Hive to Table: The Journey of Our Summer Afternoon Tea
Imagine coming home one day to find thousands of bees flying into your chimney!
That’s the situation one New Forest homeowner in Beaulieu found themselves in last summer. Thankfully, Lakeside Bee Services, local live honey bee removers, came to the rescue to remove the unwanted residents. And that’s how the story of the Careys Manor bees and our Summer Afternoon Tea begins. But, let’s take a deeper dive into how the honey goes…
From Hive…
Marcus Collings, owner of Lakeside Bee Services, set up the company during lockdown when he retired from his military career and decided to turn his hobby and love of bees into a service to benefit others. Moving into a house that he bought without knowing beehives were at the bottom of the garden, Marcus took up beekeeping when the former owners didn’t come back to collect the hives on moving day. Since then he has grown his knowledge by sustainably rehoming bees.
Marcus sits on the Committee of the New Forest & District Beekeepers Association. As a sustainable business, the bees were safely put into a temporary hive before being rehomed here at the Careys Manor Hotel. Since the rehoming, Marcus has been teaching Ben, our morning chef, how to look after the bees.
…To Table
The busy bees have been out roaming the New Forest to collect nectar and turning it into beautiful Hampshire honey, and you bet Ben and head chef Alistair have been eager as ever to make use of this deliciously sweet nectar, by incorporating it into dishes at our on-site restaurants here at Careys.
Our limited edition afternoon tea is one such honey-rich menu. Available at our modern British restaurant Cambium, the Sweet As Honey Summer Afternoon Tea includes a selection of cakes and pastries which have been made with mouth-watering honey from our bee hives.
Our new afternoon tea menu includes:
- Honey and lavender macaroon
- Honey and almond tart
- Honeycomb choux
The perfect treat for a casual afternoon tea two, or as an add-on to your spa day with afternoon tea for a luxurious break in the New Forest.
Stay tuned on our social channels for more updates on our hive to table journey with the Careys Manor bees. And keep an eye on our menus for some sweet seasonal dishes…
Hopefully, in the future, Ben will be able to take some residents to the hive, raising awareness of honey bees and their importance in nature, and teaching what it takes to look after these vital animals and the many benefits this hobby can also have on personal wellbeing.
Buzzing to try our Sweet As Honey Afternoon Tea?
