This is going to be a grand day out … for beekeepers
The annual Hampshire BKA Honey Show and the HBA Autumn Convention will be on the same day: Sunday 1st October 2023 at Sparsholt College.
The schedule for the 2023 Honey Show has an exciting new class –
“Class 35 Beekeepers’ Choice: one jar of honey, light, medium or dark, crystallised or soft set”
While the experienced honey show judges examine and taste their way through the honey classes, the entries in this class will be displayed anonymously outside the show room so that you can vote for your personal favourite based purely on taste. The winner will receive a book of their choice from a selection available in the HBA Library.
Click here to read and download the 2023 Schedule.
Click here to view and download the entry form as pdf, or Click here to download the entry form as a Word document.
What makes this a great day out?
You can bring your entries between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on 1st October or, if you prefer, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday 30th September. After you have staged your entries you can grab a coffee and chat to your beekeeping friends. We have a welcome at 9 a.m. then the rest of the morning is taken up with talks and workshops while the honey show judges work along the show benches. The show benches will be open for viewing once the judges have completed their deliberations. There will be more talks and workshops in the afternoon.
Speakers include Stewart Spinks who creates the Norfolk Honey Company videos, and Dan and Ken Basterfield, co-authors of the Healthy Hive Guide, from Blackbury Honey Farm.
Workshops will cover making mead, production of wax, and preparing for a better season.
There will be a mini-exhibition about Charles Butler, author of ‘The Feminine Monarchie’ 400 years ago, as well as various stalls and displays. Avril will bring a selection of new and old books from the HBA library.
Tickets for all of this cost £10, including light refreshments. Entering the Honey Show is free, but why would you not want to linger for the whole day to listen to these superb speakers, go to workshops, browse displays and stalls and chat with other like-minded beekeepers? You can book your ticket from the Members’ Area page on this website, or ask your local association secretary for the link to Eventbrite.