Ocado enlists Nigella Lawson to help create a buzz about Britain's back garden beekeepers

   

• Leading online supermarket Ocado launches a nationwide competition to crown a small British honey producer as star of the jars, with help from food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson and the British Beekeepers Association
• The winner will receive £2,000 and the opportunity to get their honey listed on Ocado.com (T&Cs apply), alongside other British honey producers like Black Bee Honey, Daylesford Organic and Scottish Bee Company
• Entries are open from 20th May- 28th June 2024
• For details and to enter, visit: http://www.ocado.com/honeyheroes 

20th May 2024: on World Bee Day, online supermarket Ocado launched a nationwide competition, to celebrate back garden beekeepers and find the finest small-scale produced honey in the UK, with help from Nigella Lawson and the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA).

The competition, which seeks to champion Britain’s small and hobbyist honey producers, will see the winning beekeeper receive a sweet £2,000 and  the potential to get their honey listed on Ocado.com (T&Cs apply).

From the 20th May - 28th June, UK-based honey producers are invited to enter via http://www.ocado.com/honeyheroes. Whether they tend to just a handful of hives, or a whole host - in the heart of the city or nestled in the countryside - beekeepers across Britain are encouraged to apply. Experts from the British Beekeepers Association and Ocado’s buying team will assess entrants’ honey against criteria including aroma and flavour. Nigella will help to assess the shortlisted entries and announce the winner in July 2024.

Nigella Lawson said: “Having always been entranced by the mysterious poetry of beekeeping, it’s been a real thrill to be invited to join the British Beekeepers Association and Ocado to sample and celebrate the honey from small-scale beekeepers up and down the country: an opportunity to taste the landscape, really! Honey is one of the most exquisite foodstuffs imaginable – it’s like an edible blessing! –  and such a valuable reminder of the relationship between us and the environment, and one this competition respects and cherishes. It’s wonderful to be able to champion small producers in this country and, furthermore, encourage those who protect the bee population, and by doing so all of us benefit.”

As an online-only supermarket, Ocado is much less limited by shelf space constraints, so able to offer an unbeatable product range, including over 100 honeys. Ocado is also uniquely able to support even the smallest producers, by providing a flexible route to market that means the very best local products can be made available to a national audience. The competition winner may get the opportunity to be added to Ocado.com, joining big British honey providers such as M&S and Daylesford Organic, and small producers like Black Bee Honey, Truffle Hunter and the Scottish Bee Company.

Laura Harricks, Ocado Retail Chief Customer Officer comments: "At Ocado, we're passionate about championing small producers, so we're thrilled to be able to support budding honey heroes in this way. It’s been fantastic to work with Nigella and the BBKA to shine a light on Britain’s brilliant beekeepers. Small batch honey is a unique expression of the very particular place in which it’s produced, so it really is the epitome of a local product.

Joyce Nisbet, Master Beekeeper of the BBKA mentions: “The BBKA has been advancing the education of the public and beekeepers in the craft of beekeeping for 150 years. Honey shows and competitions highlight the importance of honey bees and other pollinators.  We are delighted to partner with Ocado and offer our expertise towards the judging process for this competition, which seeks to champion local British honey producers, and celebrate the very best of their wonderful products.”

The competition launches on the 20th of May and buzzes through till the 28th of June. Visit http://www.ocado.com/honeyheroes to enter and view the full terms and conditions.