Broadstairs beekeepers Gary and Shayne Luckhurst have scooped a top prize for their local honey – as well as trophies in a whopping nine more categories.
The husband and wife team entered their products into the National Honey Show in Surrey last week and came away with a crop of prizes.
They were awarded 1st prize in the national/world category for their Fairfield Honey, taking the Hamlin Cup and gold medal, and also took prizes in various categories for light and dark honey, naturally crystallised honey, beeswax, Mead, label, colour print and liquid honey. There were some 2538 entries for the show.
Fairfield Honey and products are made from colonies at Gary and Shayne’s Fairfield Road home and further hives they have at five Thanet farmland sites.
The pair have been keeping bees for around seven years and started entering competitions four years ago but it all began with a birthday present.
Gary, 53, said: “I have always been into nature. My wife was running out of ideas for a birthday present and then saw a ‘Be a Beekeeper for a Weekend’ event.
“I went to Maidstone for the open weekend and came home and said ‘I have got to do this.’ And that year we got our first colony and now we have 20!
“We have a couple in the garden, which is where it all started as Fairfield Honey and then we started selling from our front door. Then I got in contact with some farmers and we now have colonies across Thanet.”
Since then Fairfield Honey been awarded a number of prizes from organisations including the Acol Horticultural Society; a winning blue ribbon at the Kent County Show and now the National Honey Show.
Gary, who works as a gardener, said: “The incentive is to sell the best premium product on the market. We pride ourselves that you can only get our honey from our front door or the Cliftonville Farmers’ Market.
“When you buy it, you know where it’s come from.”
Gary says the whole process is carried out by themselves so there is no chain of other suppliers or manufacturers.
The couple, who were childhood sweethearts but then went their separate ways until reconnecting 12 years ago, care for the bees, harvest the honeycomb, extract and strain and then fill the jars ready to sell.
Gary said: “We do everything, there are very few products that are done from start to finish without leaving your hands.
“We know everything about it, we know what the bees have been feeding on – they are living on flowers and in winter maybe a bit of extra fondant or sugar to get them through- so our honey comes from flowers in Thanet.”
Look out for their sign in Fairfield Road, visit their stall at Cliftonville Farmers’ Market every last Sunday of the month, 10am to 1pm, at Walpole green or find them online at: https://fairfieldhoney.com/
