Discover the fascinating world of honey, bees, and pollinators with honey sommelier and advocate Sarah Wyndham Lewis. From the art of tasting honey to the importance of sustainable beekeeping, this episode dives deep into what makes honey truly special and how we can support bee populations globally.
Main Topics:
- The role and perception of honey in today’s food industry
- The complexity of honey and the importance of terroir
- Challenges facing bees and sustainable beekeeping practices
- The science and social significance of honeybee behaviour
- Future prospects for honey and pollinator conservation
In this episode:
- Sarah shares her journey from honey sommelier to advocate for bees and sustainable practices
- The difference between honey types based on floral source, terroir, and processing
- How to identify authentic honey and avoid adulteration
- The critical role of honeybees in ecosystems and agriculture
- Insights into urban and global beekeeping trends
- The importance of planting for pollinators and supporting local honey producers
- Upcoming book: The Essential Book of Pollinators, out next spring via Penguin
- Practical tips on honey tasting, storage, and culinary uses
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Sarah and her expertise in honey
02:23 - The evolving role of honey and a honey sommelier’s background
04:12 - Honey as a complex product, more than just sweet; terroir and floral sources
06:55 - The politics and ecology of honeybees, threats from monoculture agriculture
09:20 - Honey’s medical and historical uses across cultures
12:10 - How Sarah and her husband Dale started Bermondsey Street Bees
14:10 - The journey of turning bees into a sustainable livelihood and local trade
16:05 - The misconceptions about adulterated honey and its value
18:10 - How to choose and taste honey based on flavour complexity and purpose
20:00 - Storage tips: glass, dark, room temperature, and avoiding microwaves
22:20 - The importance of local, ethical honey production and supporting small producers
24:00 - Surprising honey flavours from Nigeria and Africa – an exploration of wild honey
26:00 - The effects of urban beekeeping and landscape diversity on honey quality
28:45 - Beekeeper life: hive management, bee behaviour, and hive architecture
32:00 - The fascinating behaviours of hive members and queen bee control
37:00 - Future of the honey industry and the impact of global policies and fraud protection
41:00 - Supporting pollinators through planting and sustainable practices
45:00 - Sarah's upcoming books and her shift from sommelier to pollinator advocate
48:00 - The importance of educating new generations of beekeepers and consumers
50:00 - Simple actions to support bees: providing water, planting pollinator-friendly gardens
51:00 - Final thoughts on bee conservation and Sarah’s charity work with Bees Abroad.
Resources & Links:
Connect with Sarah Wyndham Lewis
Thank you for listening to this episode on the sweet science of honey. Support your local bees, buy real, local honey and enjoy better taste and health!
