Who We Are

FORAGE & FORGE... IT ALL BEGAN WITH THE BEES!

Having moved to a house in the Hampshire countryside with a small plot of land, we started keeping bees, chickens and ducks; growing vegetables; planting trees and creating habitats for wildlife. Along with the delicious honey we produced, we started using natural luxurious beeswax to create candles and other produce.

Our interest in nature and the environment inspires us to forage and explore the surrounding countryside and discover how to use the ‘wild’ ingredients we find in delicious recipes to share with like-minded people.

Finding and making is at our heart, just like the bees!

SO WHY HONEY?

For centuries, honey has been used to treat a multitude of ailments and it has a variety of health benefits. Most of these apply to raw or unpasturised honey. In supermarkets the honey sold is mostly pasturised and this process removes many of its beneficial properties.

It is believed that raw honey...

Is a good source of antioxidants
Has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties
Can help relieve allergies such as hayfever
Can help to heal wounds
Can help with digestive issues
Can sooth a sore throat
Can act as a cough suppressant

AND WHY BEESWAX?

Created by bees and prized since ancient times, beeswax is the purest and most natural of waxes. It is rarer and more expensive than other waxes and it's estimated that bees must fly 150,000 miles to collect enough nectar to secrete just one pound of beeswax. It also requires minimal processing and is sustainable, biodegradable and non-toxic.

When burnt, it purifies the air by releasing negative ions that bind toxins and pollutants, helping to remove them along with common allergens like mould, dust and dander. This can be beneficial to asthma sufferers and those with allergies. Beeswax candles rarely drip and emit a bright light with a sweet, warming aroma. They burn slower than their soya or paraffin equivalents and last longer. Beeswax candles also burn virtually ‘soot free’, unlike petroleum and soya based candles that can release toxic chemicals.

HOW ARE WE ECO-FRIENDLY?

At Forage & Forge we strive to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Glass honey jars are made in the UK and can be returned for reuse or recycled. The postal packaging we choose to use is made from 75% recycled cardboard, the remaining 25% is from sustainable sources and it is biodegradable and recyclable. The ingredients we use and our suppliers are sourced as locally as possible and local wildlife is nurtured alongside the bees! Materials we use to make the products are as natural and biodegradable as possible- we don't like plastic! We are environmentally aware and are very keen to minimise our environmental impact.