What on Earth is a Bee Hop, you may ask! Well, if you are looking for a day (and a night) out with a difference, then why not pop along to Naish Farm, in Holwell, Dorset, next Saturday and find out for yourselves.

I can tell you at the outset that the tickets are a far cry from the bash at Worthy Farm – costing a mere £4 each, with children under 16 going free, and there’s also free camping on the site.

It will be just like joining a family party – for that’s how the first bash started when Matt and Emma Goss-Custard moved into the farm in 2002 to expand the bakery which Emma began in 1988, when she was a cash-strapped student in Oxford, looking for some extra income.

All ages enjoy the atmosphere at the Bee Hop.

At first it was a low-key affair, baking well into the night on a simple stove in her student kitchen, and delivering products to local delis and cafes on her bicycle. It only took one taste for people to realise that she was producing something new and delicious, and customers couldn’t get enough. So soon it became a full-time business and Honeybuns was born.

Since then, the cakes have won many national awards and half of the range are gold medal winners. As the business expanded, the couple looked for new premises, and as they both wanted to make her cakes in an as environmentally-friendly atmosphere as possible, they decided that renovated buildings in the heart of the Dorset countryside would be ideal.

So, back to the Bee Hop. It was pointless arriving in an isolated farm, with things to sell, but without any potential customers. So Emma and Matt decided to throw a party, lay on some music, invite friends and neighbours, and show them their wares.

There was no vast pyramid stage like the one at Glastonbury, though. The music for the first Bee Hop came from the couple’s second-hand stereo system, perched on the kitchen table, which had suffered during the move, and produced sounds of dubious quality.

“The main emphasis was on the food,” said Emma. “We served roast beef with horseradish sauce, honey-glazed hams, creamy spinach and gruyere quiches and lots of cake. The bakery was formerly opened by the churchwarden, Edna Sibley. Everyone had a really good time and the idea for an annual party was born.

“in fact, it was so good that we decided it should become an annual event, and the stereo was replaced with live bands and professional DJs.”

But although camping and dancing the night away is good fun, the food still plays an important part of the event.

“There are plenty of places to buy cakes, but they are not like mine,” said Emma. “There is no wheat flour used at all in Honeybuns. All of our products are wheat-free and all but two of our lines are gluten-free to.

“I suppose it would be true to say that they are relatively expensive but they are also very fair value. We do not compromise on the quality of our ingredients. We jut use the best. Our products are all natural and we do not use any preservatives at all.”

Matt and Emma are very conscious of the need to protect the environment and decided to use the honey bee as their emblem.

“We have a very green conscience and have implemented our own Bee Green initiative, which includes the recycling of our waste products, our wildlife sanctuary, and the replanting of missing hedgerows and lovely deciduous trees at the farm,” said Emma.

The couple also run a community café called the Bee Shack, which they say gives them an insight into problems faced by retailers.

“The Bee Hop Festival is a celebration of all things musical, foodie and artistic.

“We have eight live bands playing anything from hip-hop to reggae plus an art trail of sculptures and paintings. All monies are donated to local good causes,” Emma explained. “We just want people of all ages and from all walks of life to have a great time.

“Each year, the Bee Hop has grown organically and forged its own unique, and slightly off beat identity.

“From just a simple bakery open day we now have a full music festival which delights people from all walks of life.”

One thing the Bee Hop does have in common with Glastonbury, is that the couple donate any profits to local good causes.

“Holwell itself has no pub, shop, post office or library. The only focal points are the village hall and the church, so it seemed a reasonable idea to raise money for either or both of these community causes.

“There are no bouncy castles or dog shows – instead, the pleasures are simpler and a little more laid back.

“You can flop in a deckchair and watch anything from ethnic drumming to jazz.

“You can wander in and out of the hidden garden, where the art installations are, while sipping your glass of bubbly and a raspberry coulis from the cocktail bar.

“The money-raising aspect of the Bee Hop is an important lynch-pin to this event and, over the past years, monies raised have been given to the Holwell Church for the restoration fund and this year, all monies raised will be shared between the church restoration fund and the village hall.”

As well as a great selection of food and drink on offer at the Bee Hop, the musical line-up includes Boy Le Monti, the Ladybirds, Nigel Canter and Paul Openshaw, Drew Crow Star, Kabin Fever, Shiko, Urban Idyll, Buzz and music courtesy of DJs Big Chris and The Oxys.