The groups visit this month took us to Hazem’s Allotment in Harmondsworth, near Heathrow — and what a hidden gem it turned out to be!

Finding the allotment wasn’t exactly straightforward, but once we arrived, it was hard to believe we were just a stone’s throw from Heathrow and an industrial estate. The allotments felt like a little oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle. Every now and then, a plane would fly overhead, which, for any plane spotters among us, must make this one of the best allotment locations around!

Hazem met us at the entrance and showed us around. The first thing that struck us was the size of the plots. They were enormous compared with mine and Brian’s allotment! The plots were beautifully tended, and the site has some great facilities. Allotment holders are even allowed to have sheds, greenhouses, chickens and, of course, beehives. And it was the Bees that were the real stars of our visit.

Hazem keeps several hives and gave us a fascinating insight into the world of beekeeping. He explained how the hives are managed, how honey is produced and, most importantly, how you know when it is time to harvest it. We even got to see the queen bee! Hazem marks his queens with coloured paint, with the colour helping to identify their age and which hive they belong to.

We then learned how the honey makes its journey from the hive to the jar. Honey is usually harvested during the summer, when Hazem knows the time is right by checking that around 80% of the cells on the frames have been capped with wax. The wax is carefully scraped away before the frames are placed into a centrifugal extractor, which spins the honey out. It is then graded and bottled, ready to enjoy. And nothing goes to waste — the leftover beeswax can be repurposed to make candles.

It was a warm day, but we spent a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours exploring the allotment, meeting the bees and learning about the fascinating process of turning flowers, sunshine and a lot of hard work into honey.

A big thank you to Hazem for showing us around and sharing his knowledge. Who knew there was so much going on behind that little jar of honey? 🐝🍯🌻