Have you ever dreamed what it would be like to be locked up in your favourite department store over night? I know I have! What would it be like to have permanent residence there (even if your life span was only about 6 weeks)? Well such is the life of the honey bees that live on top of Fortnum & Mason. Did you even know that there were 4 beautiful bee hives up there? Why beautiful? Because, the little bee “palaces” come in the most glorious shade of eua de nile, (its kind of like a Tiffany blue). Each one is decorated in a different style: Roman, Gothic, Chinese and Mughal. Yeah, I if were a bee (Queen Bee, of course), this is totally where I’d live.
I have always been curious about these bees. I have heard about them, but they aren’t really open to the public. Recently, however, Fortnum’s was having an in store event called “The Life of Bees.” I didn’t hesitate in signing up. Of course, Mr P had to go too 
. Before the little tour of the beehives and the honey tasting that followed, Mr P warned me, “Do not fall asleep!”– because, in all honesty daaaahlings, it has happened. “You know, the guy isn’t going to come out in a fluffy bee suit and dance around for you.”
“Surely you jest Mr P. Of course he is!” I replied, imagining the cute little headband our tour guide would wear. It would have little bobble antennae on it. To compliment his choice of attire, I was wearing a lovely yellow Dior ensemble with a chic black handbag so I could match my host and impress the other visitors with my knowledge of bees and my penchant for fashion!
No, turns out our host, Johnathan Miller, the buyer for Fortnum & Mason, was not dressed like a bee at all. He didn’t even wear the headband. Damn 
, that sucks! He was very much what you’d imagine when you think of a British gentleman. He took us upstairs, to the roof top of the store and showed us the bees in action. Right now, during the summer, is when the hives are at their fullest. The bees love hot dry weather, and at optimum bee conditions, there could be as many as 50,000 bees filling each hive (I guess they have to share the bathroom, eh?).
From the rooftop, we had a great view of London and some of its very famous buildings. I’ll tell you one thing, these bees totally lucked out in terms of prime real estate! From their lovely bee hives, the bees travel a three mile radius only to return with the nectars from the nearby parks, the city’s gardens, peoples’ window boxes, and even the residence of the Queen of England (who also keeps her own bees by the way). Because London is such an urban environment, and so diverse in nature, the honey that the Fortnum bees collect is highly complex. This polyfloral honey is only available in the store come October, and the stocks are limited. Depending on the weather, each hive produces 200-300 jars a year. Unfortunately, this honey was not available at the time of our tasting session, but according to their website, it tastes “appropriately aristocratic.”
As the bees were quite active that afternoon (I have the tendency to provoke excitement you know), Mr Miller took us back inside the store for our honey tasting in “The Crypt,” a beautiful Medieval looking room in the store’s basement, where they do wine tastings. There, he presented us with six different honeys which Fortnums sell, and we discussed the qualities of each. The thing which I really took back from this tasting is that all honeys are not created equal. Its like wine. They might all be called wine, but to group them so simply would be missing out on what makes each one special. Their flavours and textures can vary so significantly. Like wine, they differ in taste from region to region and from year to year. We tried a light and simple monofloral honey from Sicily. There was a very sumptuous textured Girasole Honey which really impressed me whose pollen was collected from sunflowers in Southern Italy. We tried Linden Honey from lime blossoms, Prickly Bee Honey or “Butterscotch in a Jar” (because it is just that thick and rich–to thick pour Moi, but I know some people would go crazy for the stuff), and a the polyfloral Patrician Islands Honey. My favorite, however, was undoubtedly the Himalayan Highlands Honey. Oh, it was divine!!! I don’t know if you’ve ever tasted a date called the khola date, but it tastes just like that in liquid form. Its kind of like a mix of a Werther’s candy and a plump and juicy date in honey form. I purchased one to take home, but I mean to go back and buy a few more. Honey is seasonal. Your favorite honey may not be around all year long, and next year, it might actually taste a bit different, so I figure I should stock up on this one. I’ve got all kinds of ideas how I’m going to use it (hey, minds out of the gutters daaaahlings!).
Oh this is cool! I would love to see your bee inspired outfit! Pa bought a 4 pound jar of honey at Costco a few years ago and now it looks like wood paste. Maybe it’s time we upgraded
Have you ever read the Help?
How beautiful…something about bees makes me want to slow down and smell flowers
And how cool that you can buy honey that those busy bees made up on the very top floor! Thank you so much for sharing with me. You are always making me smile. I hope you have a great day, my friend. Love from Austin!
What interesting post! gloria
I actually saw a piece about these bee hives on a French program and thought it was very cool! Lucky you for getting the whole experience, especially the honey! I never ate a lot of honey until a friend sent me some from Utah which is out of this world! Now I understand the passion surrounding honey!
Lucky bees! What a fun thing to attend, would love to see all of the delightful honeys
They sure know how to entertain their guests and get them to buy some honey don’t they! Plus you get to spend a lovely afternoon with your beloved and everybody is happy!
I want to come back as Queen Bee in my next life…. and live in that ultra modern hive…. ;P
Love that 1st photo
What a fascinating story. Did you know that if you have allergies and eat the honey from the hives in your neighborhood that it will ward off your allergies? Just a little tidbit I learned about bees a while ago.
What a lovely time to spend with honey and honey bee….. truly speaking I have never seen such super gorgeous honey palace….. one life time is so short to see, to taste all the beauties of this wonderful world.
Waiting to see all your creative honey recipes!:)
I’m totes stocking up on my fave honey when I’m in the App Mountains next week!
I never knew about the bee’s on the roof of Fortnum & Mason HH. I love their posh homes too.
That’s actually pretty special! I’m not a massive fan of honey, but I would probably try it because of the novelty of where it came from.
I love this bee shenanigan you got into. if I’m ever in London, we must get into some trouble.
I love the idea of the bees living palatial luxury, on the roof of London’s most premium store. Supping honey in the sunshine, If only there were room for me. GG
The honey tasting sounds so fun! Since living in Austin, I’ve come to really like the local, wildflower honey. But, I’d love to taste several from different parts of the world to compare. Those boxes for the bees are just lovely!
What a fantastic opportunity and I cannot believe you got Mr. P to go with you! It would definitely be a girlfriend afternoon for me. We have a local gal here : Lola Canola. She is magic and does the most amazing honey tastings. She will even come to your home for a small fee and do a tasting for you and your friends and it is a phenomenal experience!
I had no idea F&M made their own honey from bees on the roof!
valerie