Yummy Heather Honey

Heather moorland is an important grazing resource for farmers in the Less Favoured Areas.

It is also an internationally important habitat which supports a number of specialised plants, animals and birds. Nectar from their flowers is used by bees to make heather honey. Over 52,000 ha of heather moorland is managed through Countryside Management Scheme (CMS) and Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) Scheme.

Honey is one of our most ancient foods which has been sought after since Stone Age hunters raided wild bee colonies. We can only imagine how this sweet tasting high energy food must have been highly prized in a world before sugar. Amongst connoisseurs today, bell heather honey is claimed to be “the Rolls Royce of honey”, having the best flavour and aroma of all honeys.

In full flower in late summer, heather moorland is a mass of purple, lightly scented and very attractive to bees. Bees make honey by harvesting the nectar from the heather flowers, taking it back to the hive where it is converted into honey by extracting the excess moisture and mixing it with enzymes (chemicals) from glands in their bodies. When ready the bees store the honey in the hexagonal wax honeycomb and seal it with wax to keep it clean and pure.

Heather honey is special for its unique taste, delicious on warm toast or cereals. It is widely used in cooking and is also used for medicinal purposes.

Heather honey yields depend on a range of factors including the weather and the quantity of the heather. For land under agri-environment scheme agreement, no grazing of heather moorland is permitted between 1 November and 28 or 29 February. This is to prevent overgrazing of the heather and to allow its regeneration. Heather moorland can also be regenerated by flailing and burning.

If you would like more information on heather management or any other aspect of the CMS or ESA Scheme, contact locally based Countryside Management staff. Courses on beekeeping are organised by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and more details can be obtained from Kevin O’Donnell, tel: 028 9442 6631.