Jenny Wren’s  -Bird’s eye view- Hello I’m the newey person to the team, replacing the lovely Victoria, who I had the pleasure of meeting before she left to her new career of teaching.

I’m in my third week now and learning and experiencing new things every day. It’s certainly the first time  I’ve stroked a donkey on a coffee break at work or sprinkled cake crumbs out for the birds.

I still have alot to learn in the paperworky side but Emma is a good teacher and is trying not to overload me. I am trying not to overload myself with cake tasting -  well I do need to know the products!

The dark handsome one on the top

My fave so far is the Heathcliffe Brownie, he’s  so georgeous !

What a  multi-talented team here, everyone appears to have a special Skill! – Not the ability to see through solid object s or be invisible, (although- maybe !) but

there’s certainly  a baker who is a superb artist, a packing lady who is a talented sewist (good at dressmaking and has made beautifull dotty aprons, a couple of hedhgelayers just to name a few.

I will be sporting one of the fabulous pinnies for the first time at the foodshow in Cornwall www.expowestexhibitions.com/ with one of  our wholesalers.

My previous gardening experience may well come in useful, Im a good little weeder, and am looking forward to the new raised veggie beds being finished.

I’m especially glad to see they are going to be filled with topsoil  instead of the thick clay soil we have here. It would probably take three people to pull a carrot out of that.

Our cosy training/team room is looking wonderful, with the pretty blue  and white check table cloths and little vases of bright springy flowers, We’ve glammed it up a bit in readiness for two visitors from Japan and  for our Beeshack opening  on the 6th march www.honeybuns.co.uk/beeshack/index.htm

Do come along for tea, coffee and cakes or why not book for lunch -  bring your mums for an early Mothers day treat - If my mum stops calling herself the “Duchess of Wedmore”, (She isn’t, but it amuses her to say it ) - I may bring her or  treat her to one of the  little enamel  Honeybuns tins full of cakes. They’re also available from our online shop - beautifully wrapped for mother’s day www.honeybuns.co.uk/

Hallo,

The birds are a- chit- chattering away in the hedgerows surrounding the bakery & our old farm buildings.We’ve seen some nest site “recce” activity going on on nest box cam www.honeybuns.c.uk/joaneycam. A couple of sparrows have been in there checking it out for size. Again this year we’ve seen lots of goldfinches feeding on the set aside strips where we let nature run riot. The thistle heads provide tasty snacks for these lovely little birds.

There’s a feeling of Spring just around the corner now. We reckon that there might be still a few icy blasts to come but the thaw is not far away now.

Nick has been busy creating our long awaited raised veggie beds in the Bee Shack garden. He has recycled the old railway sleepers that used to form the walls of the silage lamp here on the farm. Waste not want not. The team are then able to have a veggie patch/mini allotment or there is a kitty- if you don”t fancy the gardening but do rather fancy the fresh courgettes, salads, beetroots etc then a donation to the kitty secures a weekly selection of veggies.

Much as I’d like to get my hands in soil I think I’ll have to go for the kitty option. Time seems a bit scarcer than normal at the moment. We’ve been much busier than is usual for the time of year & we also have quite a lot of plans to implement with regard to the online shop & prettification of the site plus all our BeeGreen things. I try not to fall back into the panic pit & instead just keep calmly wading through the to do list 7 picking off all the mega urgent things first.

We’re getting our feedback on the little savoury tarts this Friday & hopefully we’ll soon be able to get these onto the website mail order shop. We just need to figure out how best they can be kept chilled in transit.We rather liked the idea of Honeybuns branded mini coolbags….

So much to do- must keep calm & carry on.

em xx

Hallo,

We’re busy getting our show diary finalised for this year.

Our great pals at Reads Coffee Roasters, www.readscoffee.co.uk, are organising a fundraiser for the Haiti Disaster- “Hearts for Haiti”. It promises to be a foodie extravaganza with lots of local artisan producers selling their goodies. It’s on Saturday, 13th February, 10am -3 pm & held in the Theare at Sherborne boys school.

It would be lovely if as many people as possible could come along-the aim is to celebrate gorgeous, hand-crafted local foods & to raise lots of cash for such a pressing cause. For info pls call Charlotte t Reads-01935 389615.We’ll e there with lots of samples to taste too. No obligation to buy- but e are after your money- we’re on a mission to raise lots!

This next week we will be exhibiting with our wholesaler at the Devon Expo West trade show-if you are going- please do pop by and say hello. We’ll have goody bags to give away…as long as they last!

It’s always tricksy judging how many shows to do in a year.We had aimed to cut down in 2010, but somehow the number keeps creeping up again.They do soak up resources but also I think it’s very important to keep on promoting the brand…as soon as we set a limit we’re then sent details of another how & it’s all so tempting to”give it a go”.

Note to Self- don’t get carried away with too many shows- we need to watch the pennies in order to be able to spend on all the fun stuff! We’d love more trees, hedging, nature cams & various bits & bobs for the new Bee Shack garden..so we need to start saying no to some of the bigger,costlier events.

Speaking of all things green, Charlotte & Graham have now started their hedgelaying & it looks terrific. One of the many benefits is that a laid hedge offers improved nesting opportunities for our precious wild birds. Have a lookie on www.honeybuns.co.uk/blogbeegreen & you’ll find Charlotte is a very busy greenbee!

Righteyho- that’s all for now.Keep cosy,

Winter view of Bakery 2010

Em x

Hallo,

Well Aslan is on the move & the great thaw has begun Narnia style. We have just teensy remnants of the snow that was sooo beautiful just a couple of weeks ago.

The birds are singing & on certain mornings it feels like…Spring is not that far away…….Hoooray! Even some of the daffodils are coming up strongly- it’s from one extreme to ‘tother.

Charlotte will soon be popping another Bee~Green blog up so I need to be careful not to nick her proverbial thunder- suffice to say that she has been busy ordering up lots of conservation hedging & native trees in readiness for planting before the sap start to rise. More to follow on www.honeybuns.co.uk/blogbeegreen

We’ve recently had a wonderful photoshoot with the very talented Mr Jonathon Bosley- who has made our wrapped cakes look tres smart- this is not easy as you get such a lot of glare from the packaging film. With deftness of anti glare lighting Jonathon has made each & everyone look stunning. We’ll use them on our website & specifically to promote our Valentine online shop supa dupa offers. They’ll be online soon- for instance we’ll be offering a chocolate selection with gift tin & a complimentary lip butter for infinitely kissable lips…..all for £14.99 (plus P&P) www.honeybuns.co.uk/onlineshop. What’s not to love?

We’re also delighted to have teamed up with a local potter from Somerset who is working on some cute as buttons ceramic fridge magnets & little place name holders for us. We’re very excited about these.We’re keeping everything crosed that we can get them done & ready for Easter gifts.

There are a few other new items to appear online soon- but I do tend to be guilty of spilling the beans- I’ll leave some surprises. What you can be sure of is that everything we sell will be properly crafted either in the UK or ethically overseas- more to be revealed soon.

Our lovely bright yellow cakeboards are now adorning our Heathcliffe Brownies & they look supa-dupa stand out lovely- without being garish- or so we think…you may beg to differ & we’d love any feedback.

The same sunshine yellow has taken hold in the Bee Shack & when you come to see us hopefully on Sat, March 6th you’ll be reminded of all things Springtime…we’ve even sourced some birdsong soundtracks to play gently in the background……be gone ye winter blues!

Em

mid winter view at Honeybuns

x

Hallo,

I hope you are all nice and warm & toasty as you read this. We’ve been putting on a fine spread for the birdlife over the winter. All our rejected nuts- almonds with slight holes in plus over done cakes are popped out onto the feeding tables. You can hear a cacophony as lots of different species start calling as soon as they see the trays being refilled.

I especially like the pied wagtails who have as much fun dancing with their own reflections from the foil trays as they do actually eating the contents-surely they are the Russell Brands of the birdworld- forever checking their hair in the mirror?

Our beloved Bee Shack Cafe is now closed for Jan-Feb & will reopen on Saturday, 6th March. We’re busy painting chairs in a lovely, bright sunshine yellow gloss-to match the new packaging we’ll soon be unveiling….there will be other tweaks too- some new little knick knacks & photos to adorn the wall & some new additions to our growing cake tin collection …we’ll run out of space soon- we do need to start trying to resist new acquisitions but it’s just too tempting.

Another new idea is our little Bee Shack postbox. You’ll be able to buy a Honeybuns postcard for a nominal fee ( all funds going to our BeeGreen pot), write it to a friend & then post it in our own Bee Shack Beehive posty box- genius.

We’ll be holding different promos on each of the Bee Shack Saturdays through to December. From  offering beautifully wrapped gifts for Easter to making up Honeybuns trickor treat goody boxes -there’ll be year round gifty ideas.

If all you want to do is flop with a cuppa and a cake- then we’ll show you to a cosy corner & make sure you’re comfy before leaving you to snuggle down.

Asides from prepping the Bee Shack& feeding the birds we’re also flat out on the cake baking front.We’ll be doing less shows this year- so we can concentrate on old & new customers & also to develop the online shop more.

Hope to see you in March when we reopen.

Em

Heart shaped bird feeder

Beloved Bee Shack

x

Hallo from us all at Honeybuns,

It has been an exceptionally busy couple of weeks for the bakery & packing teams. Our online shop has really come into its own this year & orders for our giftwrapped tins have kept Jackie & our local post office extremely busy. Trade orders have also gone a bit bananas- we’re not sure if this is to do with the cold snap- everyone does tend to get a little bit more peckish if there is a nip in the air. We’ll all be glad of the Christmas break to recharge our batteries.

Foodywise we’ve been spoilt rotten by Charlotte who cooked us all a beautiful Christmas roast with all the trimmings last Friday.The veggie option was roast & stuffed butternut squash with red onion gravy- delishiousness on a plate.Today in the office we’re nibbling on teensy tiny mince pies made with orange zest pastry & filled to bursting with roasted nuts added to the mincemeat.

We’re all warm & cosy & listening to Carols on the radio- if anything it’s a tad challenging to focus on work. Only 3 sleeps left!!!

We’re not forgetting the wildlife here on the farm. The birds have plentiful supplies of all our reject almonds & hazelnuts to tuck into. Just outside the office/stable door we have positioned lots of feeders. We are lucky enough to have whole flocks of sparrows, assorted finches & tits coming to feed.

The donkeys are looking nice & rotund for this time of year. Meg & Tash are now in their late teens & we have to make sure they keep a nice bit of weight on before the winter really sets in.It looks very festive in the big barn behind the bakery  with them all gathered around the hay manger.

This will be our last blog for a little while.

Many Thanks for all your support this year and wishing you a fantabulous Christmas & Peaceful New Year,

Em & us all at Honeybuns

xxxxx

We’re

Bon Soir!

Well we survived our journey to Paris last week. It was a bit of a flying trip in just under 48 hours. The cakes  had a whistle stop tour of Paris & seemed to go down exceedingly well. Our little savoury tarts stole the show though….I’m thinking maybe we need to increase the range already….

First things first though- the tarts are finally going to be on sale in the brand new Poole John Lewis At Home store a week before Christmas- exciting. We’ll have a lot to listen to feedback wise- it’s our first proper full on savoury launch & there are bound to be things we can improve upon.

We’ve worked hard on getting the label to look lovely yet not too cluttered- pls see deign pic below. Hope you like it.

It was all go in the Bee Shack on Saturday, www.honeybuns.co.uk/beeshack- we had a mini little opening on the Friday evening- thank you so much to the trusty die hard fans who supported us- but Saturday was the day everyone decided to come along in force. There were carols, donkeys, cakes, mulled vino & lots of festive cheer- what could be nicer? We close the little Cafe through Jan & Feb and reopen for Sat 6th March.  Our hot choc & teas are from the gorgeous Dorset based Clipper & our beautiful coffee is from Reads Coffee Roasters…- just 2 miles down the road-what’s not to love? So many of things we serve in the Bee Shack are from Dorset- our lovely county is a veritable store cupboard of delights.

Our Little Savoury Tarts

If you are still searching for Christmas pressies- our tins can be beautifully giftwrapped for you-in brown craft paper & ultra pretty polka dot ribbon with a super Honeybuns cake tin gift tag.Have a lookie on www/honeybuns.co.uk/shop

Wishing everyone a warm & toasty week- staying out of this nasty wet & blustery weather. Here’s to lashings of hot chocolate & quality snuggle time.

Our Little Savoury Tarts Em xxx

Hallo,

Just a quick little reminder hat the Bee Shack welcomes you all to our extra Christmas opening this Friday evening www.honeybuns.co.uk/beeshack. 7-9 pm for carol singing, mulled wine, pressie buying & all things nice.

I’ll be there with Charlotte & VeeBee to welcome you & have a bit of a giggle. I’ll be on present wrapping duty. I’ve already got 10 tins to wrap & gift tag so I’d best just stick to one little mulled wine or things could well go wonky…..

Hope to see lots of you on Friday or this Sat for our regular (but extra Christmasy) Bee Shack day. Saturday we open 11am -4pm & it’ll be the lovely Jenny & Nicky on hand to help you with gift selection, wrapping or just cakes, tea & taking things easy!

Decorations are going up today and all will be gorgeous & snuggly upon your arrival.

The gift wrapping is paricularly pretty. Meg, our donkey will be available for photos- (she doesn’t charge an appearance fee! ) on Sat at 11am- 12 noon. This will be weather allowing. Donkeys do not like the rain very much so if bringing little ones- maybe bear in mind tat Meg will be there if it’s dry.

Em xxxxx

Gift

Meg & Tash

Hallo,

Well it sounds like the thatched roof of the Honeybuns Farmhouse is about to be whisked right off- Wizard of Oz style this evening.

It is blowing a Hooley outside. With a nice fire lit & mug of Clipper tea with obligatory Tinker (the cookie-cheeky!)- I’m feeling nice & cosy.

Worky wise we’re extremely happy with or final little savoury tart label design….it took some to-ing & fro-ing but I think we’re there now. We’re presenting these luscious little savouries to various big buyers this coming fortnight. They’re also going to Paris via Eurostar for a presentation.I’m trying to be laid back about this….but we’re all tres excited at the prospect of them being en France with the rest of our cakes.

The other main focus has been refining our online shop- we’re now able to provide beautiful gift wrapping with gorgeous vintage cake tin cards as gift tags- really unusual & they look….well….spookily like real caketins- you have to do a double take-pls see pic.

Our polka dot pinnies sold out before even going online- more are arriving soon.Ditto with the key rings- these really are deluxe-proudly handmade & designed in Somerset- how cool is that? We told so many friends & customers that the pre order list got a little bit out of hand-Ooohps.That’s the only set back of having artisan made items- they cn’t be reordered to then appear instantly.They are truly worth any wait though.

For the New Year we’ll be getting on with our Fairtrade tea towels & kidilly wink aprons- when we’ll get the time to bake any cakes I’m not too sure…..

The Bee Shack was jam packed in November- the next openings are-

Friday 4th Dec. 7-9pm for carols, gift buying, nibbles & drinkies

Saturday 5th Dec. – 11am- 4pm- Gifts, gift wrapping, light snacks to buy & free nibbles & muled wine. If it’s not too chilly the donkeys will be there too for the carol singing.Well we sing & they receive cuddles.

Hope to see you there. Do have a lookie at our shop- we’re sending gift wrapped tins in force to friend & family this year- what could be nicer than a tin of delectable treats to snuggle up with on a chilly winter’s eve…….

Em xxxx

Hallooo,

It’s freezing here in Honeybuns land-it veritably feels like snow is on the way.The donkeys & horses are all noses down into their sweet meadow hay and things are beginning to look, well, just a little….festive…

We’re on the final leg now of designing our new Christmas Home page.It should look fabulous with just a little luck and the creative genius of VB & Sara…The new pinnies are resplendent & we can’t wait to get all the other new gift items on there.

We’re heading off to the MasterChef LiveShow this Friday-Sunday. Myself & Clare will be on the stand handing out lots of nibbles and selling our lovely tins alongwith lipbutters, cakes & pinnies to make supercute pressies.The show is usually quite full-on busy. If you’re going- please do come and see us- we’re up in the gallery area & you’ll spot the HBuns bunting & clothesline of hessian bags from afar….

the next few weeks are busy with various meetings.Charlotte & I head off to the smoke this Wednesday & we’ll then finally have a launch date for our new little savoury tarts.We’re also going to pop into the Country Living Fair to see if we’ll exhibit next year.

The new savoury tart samples keep disappearing- Charlotte can’t keep up with demand form all of us in the office.They are soooo incredibly moreish. We’ve just finished the label designs-which were tricksy- they needed to still look “Honeybuns” but not like a cake- tricksy.

Hope you like the  pic- we need to take some fresh ones from around the site for you.

Em xx

Mmmm teabreak