Beekeeper Cris Reeves is gearing up for a rush in demand for honey ahead of the start of the hay fever season.
Thousands of people swear by using raw honey as a natural remedy for streaming eyes and runny noses
saying that it has helped to ease their symptoms and transform their lives.
The principle behind the theory is that the tiny amounts of pollen found in raw honey helps to desensitise the body – preventing a reaction to pollen in the atmosphere during spring and early summer.
Cris, who runs Haughton Honey, based near Tarporley in Cheshire, said: “Many of our customers in the North West buy our honey because they know that the bees have made it in this country and that the honey is raw, so it still contains traces of intact pollen.
“It doesn’t matter too much if the hive that your honey comes from is on your doorstep or fifty miles away because our national flora is fairly similar across most of the country. But try and opt for multi-floral honey, which Haughton Honey is, as it will contain a good mix of pollens.
“Thousands of people swear by taking a spoonful of honey a day, well in advance of the start of the hay fever season, as a natural remedy to the symptoms of hay fever. We’re already noticing an increase in demand and expect that to rise as we move towards early summer. The medical evidence is anecdotal at the moment, but we know for a fact that a lot of our customers buy Haughton Honey to try to ward off some of the unpleasant symptoms they suffer during the hay fever season.”
Cris launched Haughton Honey last year and already has more than 50 stockists across the North West. In Cheshire, these include The Monacle Deli in Macclesfield, The Hollies Farm Shop at Little Budworth, The Gift Shop at Chester Cathedral, Cheerbrook Farm Shop, Nantwich, and Walter Smith Fine Foods, Bridgemere Garden World near Nantwich.
