Curtis Thompson - Local Honey Man

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02 Curtis Thompson
Local Honey Man

Curtis Thompson ‘Local Honey Man’ is an urban ‘beetrepreneur’, with a thriving raw honey business based in Walthamstow, north London. He has quite a mission statement:
‘As champions of the bee saving community we want to shine a bright and delicious light on the natural health benefits of raw local honey. We want our bees to survive and continue being one of the world’s smallest but greatest wonders. We want you to eat raw, local and better.’

Inspired to start beekeeping by his uncle, a master beekeeper, who introduced Curtis to the world of bees as a teenager, Local Honey Man produces honey with the sounds and smells and flavours of the city. ‘Being outside with the wind blowing, the bees buzzing, the smell of the hive, is the best part of being a beekeeper,’ he says. ‘We want to look after the bees who in turn look after the environment and sustain a lot of our food sources.’

Has this been a good summer for honey?
What’s your favourite honey right now?
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It started off well then took a massive nose dive but the recent heatwave has helped the bees and things have got a bit better. The fresh harvest crop tastes simply sublime. My favourite at the moment is Heather – it’s great in cocktails and cold drinks.
What’s the one thing we can all do to help the bees? Is there a particular flower or plant we should be planting in our gardens and on our balconies?
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Everyone should plant borage as the whole flower is edible and the bees love it, it produces a lot of nectar and it reseeds itself. It’s the perfect flower.
Where are you based, and can people come and buy directly from you?
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Yes, you can buy directly from us, at our showroom, online, farmers’ markets and in Morrisons. We are based at 67-69 Sutherland Road, Walthamstow, E17. localhoneyman.co.uk

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PHOTOGRAPH EDD HORDER