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This substantial salad brings together the comfort of warm, honey-roasted vegetables and earthy lentils with sharp cheese and a bright citrus dressing. A piquant cheese like blue stilton or tangy feta work perfectly to balance the citrus and caramelised honey flavours.
This dish benefits from using both cooked and raw honey. Roasting with a little honey brings rich caramelised flavours and colours to the vegetables and finishing the dish with a drizzle of uncooked honey balances the earthy and sharp flavours. Use your best honey for serving, then you won’t lose any of the floral notes through cooking.
Serves: 4–6 Preparation: 50 minutes
Ingredients
300g Beetroot 300g Carrots 300g Parsnips 5tbsp Olive oil 2 tsp Cumin seeds 1 tbsp H...
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The BBKA are putting on a series of Zoom talks for beekeepers which will also be recorded and made available on YouTube for those unable to watch live. All talks start at 7pm unless stated otherwise.
Next Talk:
'An Inspector Calls' with Keith Bartlem: 18th February 2025, 7pm
Keith Bartlem has been keeping bees for quite a while. He was introduced to honey bees during a student summer job as a gardener in the late 1980s. Since then, honey bees have been something of an obsession for him. Keith recently resigned as a Seasonal Bee Inspector for the North East of England after four years in the role. He is a Master Beekeeper, BBKA examiner, BBKA exam board member, and an active member of the Richmond and District Beekeeping Association. Currently, he manages twenty colonies in the North East of England, mostly using 14 x 12 hives.
The talk, 'An Inspector Calls', is a pun on the title of the famous play of the same name. It covers some of Keith’s expe...
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Barrie died on 29th December 2024 - he would have been 90 on 3rd January 2025.
Tribute by Ian Hirst, Operations Officer at ActivGardens Bee Project
We are so glad that we were able to thank Barrie with a Volunteering Award at the AGM in November, for all the years he supported the ActivGardens Bee Project, ActivHives. Barrie inspired so many people to take up bee keeping. His knowledge, humour and passion will be greatly missed by everyone at ActivLives.
“I would like to take time, to honour Barrie Powell, whose knowledge, generosity and dedication have been the heartbeat of our community apiary. Over the years, Barrie has shared not only an incredible wealth of experience – from hive maintenance to sustainable beekeeping practices – but also provided a number of his highly sort after queen bees in addition to other general hive needs. His teachings and contextual stories have been essential to the team, empowering many of us to start our ow...
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January 2025 Update:
The Government has denied an application for the use of neonicotinoids on sugar beet in 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pesticide-emergency-authorisation-denied-for-2025-to-protect-bees
The BBKA's longstanding position on the use of neonicotinoids pesticides is informed by current scientific evidence regarding their toxic effects on honey bees and other pollinators. The BBKA has been concerned that the former UK Government's decision to grant derogations (emergency approvals) of Thiamethoxam (Cruiser SB) for four consecutive years for use on sugar beet, did not follow growing scientific evidence.
BBKA Chair, Diane Drinkwater reacted to the Government's announcement saying 'The BBKA welcomes this new decision. This is the right decision, now is the time to follow the Government's expert advice and move to more sustainable alternative methods which will bring benefits to the environment, pollinators, farmers and food security.'&nbs...
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Welcome to a New Year!
So, we find ourselves in 2025 and while temperatures are currently hovering around freezing, thoughts are no doubt already turning to the new beekeeping season and what fresh challenges this year might bring us in the form of the yellow-legged Asian hornet.
In 2024 the nest tally never rose above 24. That’s a third of the 2023 tally and it will have come as a huge relief to many, myself included. It may also have come as a surprise to those who would have understandably feared the worst after watching the events of the previous year unfold. But what does it all mean? Why were there fewer nests and how does that inform our preparations this year? How DO we plan for an unknown future? It’s not easy to know how to respond.
So, I’ve spent the first few weeks of January reconnecting with those Asian Hornet Team coordinators on the ground in the areas most vulnerable to increasing numbers. I was keen to hear direct feedback on the...
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Beautifully wobbly, sweet, and bitter marmalade is an excellent way to brighten a chilly winter’s morning. Seville oranges are both rich in pectin, which is important for helping preserves to set, and very bitter so make an ideal marmalade. This method of slowly cooking the fruit and double-straining the pulp will help to extract the pectin-rich juice, ensuring your marmalade won’t be too runny. It’s worth looking out for Seville oranges, typically available from December to February, but they’re available to order online if you can’t find any in local markets.
Honey imparts a wonderful, rounded flavour that you can enjoy for as long as the jar lasts. This marmalade is packed full of peel too, it’s not one for those who favour orange-flavour jam!
Makes: 1.25 -1.5 litres
Ingredients
1 kg Seville oranges (about 6 fruit) 2 lemons 1.5 kg honey 1400 ml water
Tip: Gently warm granulated honey to ensure all crystals...
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Press Releases issued by the BBKA:
For further information, please contact Kirsteen Thorne, BBKA Outreach Officer: outreach.officer@bbka.org.uk or 07742 066382
BBKA UKCEH Study Response
December 2024
Asian Hornet Week 2024 with 'Spotting Sheet'
September 2024
Beekeepers urge the public to join the fight
May 2024
Bus Advertising Campaign
September 2023
Asian Hornet Week 2023
August 2023
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Planning for 2025 BBKA Spring Convention
Click Here for the full 2025 Convention Programme.
Book Here until 25th March for wristband ticket sales, workshop, seminar, accommodation, dinner and other bookings.
All participants in the full Convention must have an entry wristband (not a Trade Show only band) which gives general access to lectures and the Trade Show, entry to booked places on workshops and seminars and in 2025 will also allow a virtual reality bee flight! There is further information about tickets and prices here: Ticket Sales ‘Trade Show Only’ tickets (£6) are available on 5th April only ‘on-the-day’. NB Card payments only.
YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQVXlVkLjjA
If you are new to the Convention, the venue is in the Shropshire countryside, a short distance from the M54, with the nearest rail stations being Telford, Stafford and Shrewsbury. There is ample free parking on site. Short, guid...