Honey
Shows?
I frequently screw lids off jars of honey in shops to see what is floating
on the surface, another good reason why beekeepers should use tamper evident
labels. What I find frequently is scum and wax floaters, sometimes
black propolis particles and occasionally bits of bees, not very appetising. Some
beekeepers tell me that they don’t strain their honey, their customers
prefer bits of wax floating about in it, fine, as long as it is a direct
sale and both parties understand and agree. Even without removing lids
I observe honey granulating on shop shelves. There is the hard, granulated,
spoon bending, oilseed rape honey, with jars well frosted and the sediment
in the bottom highlighted in its white background. There is the half-granulated
honey with a number of colours showing and there is granulated Bell heather
honey in various shades of brown. Worst of all is fermented honey,
bubbly, frequently partly granulated and stinking.
Contrast that with most commercially branded honey, which has been heated
to high temperatures and pressure filtered to make it remain clear and bright. Criticise
it for having been “ruined” if you like, but remember it looks
well and accounts for the majority of honey sales in these islands. We
expect, indeed require a premium in price for our local honey. This
is easily achieved in the honey we sell at the front door but most beekeepers
have a day job and are not around for casual purchasers to call.
In my opinion the only way we can sell honey in shops at a premium to imported
honey is by presenting it in an innovative attractive way and displaying
it to advantage.
This is where honey shows come in; prize-winning honey has been thoroughly
prepared and its aroma and flavour have pleased the judge. The winning
entries of honey in the display classes have been artistically arranged with
other hive products adding to the visual appeal. Creamed honey is a
wonderful product; its appearance and consistency resemble thick Brylcreem;
that shows my age! Well-prepared chunk honey is spectacular. The most
common honey in Britain, Oilseed rape honey creams beautifully, yet the standard
of creamed honey is generally low on the show bench. Also, in gift
classes, it can happen that an exhibit cannot be offered for sale because
it has not been sufficiently well prepared.
I believe that honey shows should seek to improve the standard of presentation
both to raise the standard at shows and to raise the standard on the shop
shelf. The Honey show can be the centre of excellence for the display
of honey but who sees it? Many shows are inspected only by beekeepers!
How do exhibitors learn the art of preparing honey for show or sale? Judges
who make themselves available for discussion after judging and who write
remarks and leave them under the exhibits at a show help to inform exhibitors
where they are failing. Experienced, successful exhibitors who give demonstrations
and conduct workshops contribute greatly and acting as a judge’s steward
gives an exhibitor a real insight into the whole process of exhibiting and
judging. Successful exhibitors and judges are almost always delighted
to share their tips and experience with novices.
In my opinion the standard of excellence required to be in the prize list
at a honey show should be the same as the requirements for sale to the customer. Uniformity
and good hygiene are essential for selling honey so it is right that they
are important criteria in judging but, it is important that the most flavoursome
honey is not rejected or not entered because of a rule requiring jars or
lids to be of a certain specification.
The future of honey shows will depend on the exhibitors having an enjoyable
and profitable experience. The real profit will come from the improved
standard of presentation for sale, and the improved sales through the publicity
occasioned by winning. The cups can even be valuable in mounting a
sales display in a shop. A lazy judge will be pleased to eliminate
80% of the entries before opening the jar, lets make it harder for him to
de-motivate novices by modernising the rules. Having said that, honey
exhibits should still be eliminated for hygienic reasons before being opened
and certainly before tasting.
So much for benefit and profit, what of enjoyment? At the first Apimondia
World Honey show held in conjunction with Apimondia Ireland 2005 the judging
was carried out behind a roped off area in a large exhibition hall. This
was not planned as a spectator sport but that was what it became. Hundreds
of people crowded the ropes and watched, cameras and camcorders in action
to record the whole proceedings. It put the judges under more pressure,
as the spectators did not remain silent!
This “open judging” would entertain more people, but unless
we make an effort there will be only beekeepers around to be entertained. We
must attract more of the public into honey shows. When we do, the reaction
is excellent. One honey show in Northern Ireland has a class for children’s
art, which attracts over five hundred entries. The purpose of this
is to bring the children and parents into the show. Honey tasting is part
of the sales effort. The reaction of people attending a large honey show
for the first time is “Wow” The sun shining through a display
stand with all shades of honey from port wine to light straw is spectacular. Most
visitors have seen only supermarket honey and they ask a lot of questions,
taste some different types, and buy a lot of honey!
Entries at honey shows are tending to go down. Is it worth trying
to reverse that trend? I believe it is; I don’t have all the
answers but I do know that we must be bold, try out new ideas, even if some
don’t work but just think up more. Do not assume that what worked
fifty years ago will work today.
Norman Walsh
Norman Walsh is a Past President of the Ulster Beekeepers’ Association
and an Irish Honey Judge. He has been a frequent exhibitor and Prize
Winner at the National Honey Show.
