We have recently written our sourcing policy which can be found on www.honeybuns.co.uk/sourcing . We have a number of criteria by which we select ingredients and suppliers and by writing the policy we hope it will give an insight into the world of the artisan food producer.

For example: our egg suppliers, Lucy and Mark Doggrell from Broke Wood Farm are a delight to deal with and it took a few false starts for us to find them. When we first moved to Naish Farm in 2002 we were very keen on using the very closest egg supplier to the bakery. It just didn't work out! In fairness to the first couple of egg suppliers we worked with, they had not really supplied anyone beyond the farm gate. It was a classic mis marriage of expectations both for us as the manufacturer and the suppliers.

These false starts positively clarified for us what we did actually need from each of our suppliers: best quality - fantastic taste - reliability of supply - gluten free verification - affordability - compliant product specification sheets are all essential. Things like low food miles, organic status (if it avoids chemicals) and using Dorset based suppliers are also on the shopping list but are added bonuses. If we cannot get the quality ingredients for our products locally, we would consider looking further afield. Fortunately for Honeybuns, we are surrounded by world class food producers on our very doorstep so we are frequently able to match our criteria by buying local.

With our new BumbleO savoury traybake we have managed to source the onion marmalade free range eggs and cheddar all from Dorset. Our judgment calls are to figure out the best we can buy at the time and keep reviewing our approved suppliers. We accept that we can always improve and we really value feedback on what we are doing so please do contact us if you have any views on our approach to sourcing or anything else you might care to mention.

Our catering trays of BumbleO are now ready to order. If you are a wholesaler interested in stocking them, please do give us a call. Each tray yields 6 portions and is supplied par baked. The retailer can bake the tray off, portion and serve. The mini trays which serve 2 will be launched at our party on 19th April.

Places are limited, so if you are a trade customer of Honeybuns, please do call us and we'll send you an invitation.

The BumbleO  strapline says it all really: "Made slow for Busy Bees on the Go". Just like our cakes, the BumbleO is made entirely by hand with the lushest ingredients. It is the closest to home made money can buy. We were delighted to receive the following feedback, "A really delicious treat - loved the combination of the sweet onions with the deep blue cheese" Francesca Unsworth - "Taste Italia". We have been inspired by the street food flavours of Italy, so this was especially welcome feedback!

Baby Tray
We have been a little bit busy behind the scenes recently with all the BumbleO development work.
We've also managed to design a little take home cake traybake in 4 flavours: Cranberry and Pecan Flapjack, Plain Vanilla Flapjack, Coppice Cake and Heathcliffe Brownie. Each tray yields 4-5 portions and if you are a wholesaler or retailer interested in stocking them, please do give us a ring. The little trays need to be sold from the freezer alongside desserts and ice cream - they might look a little lost amongst the frozen veggies....We are specially pleased with the sleeve design which is made of uber green "eco board" and is highly compostable.

Food Hero Just before Christmas last year, Charlotte and I got to meet our all time FOOD HERO (even stevens with Elizabeth David) Keith Floyd. He was giving a talk about his life and food in Dorchester and he graciously posed for a grainy mobile phone photograph. Please see very blurry photo on the right. He was so down to earth, unponcey and highly entertaining. We'd highly recommend seeing him if you get the chance. I then read his autobiography "out of the Frying pan..." and immensely enjoyable it was too - he is my top food dude!

More Product Development One of our ongoing activities at Honeybuns is to develop new innovative products but also to keep a close eye on our classic lines and see if they need any tweaking. Currently we are looking at adding some organic orange zest to our much loved Cranberry and Pecan Flapjack - just to cut through the sweetness a little. We will gather as much feedback as possible by sampling it at the Bee Shack cafe before making a decision on whether to unleash the new version!

The Bee Shack really has earnt its renovation costs. We use it, in turns, as a team training room, development kitchen and community cafe - not bad for an old chicken shed!
Amondi cookies is next inline for an overhaul. We will be using toasted hazelnut flour as well as ground almonds for a more robust flavour and slighty coarser texture. If there is a product you would like to comment on good or bad feel free to contact the and we would be delighted to hear your comments.

Operation Goldfinch Our very own Operation Goldfinch is now in its second year and we have been delighted to see a visible increase in their numbers around the farm. The thistle heads which they like to feed on are growing in abundance and we have also introduced edible plants into the cottage gardens for them to breakfast on. Whilst I'm writing my blog in the morning I can watch them flitting about in amongst the flower beds.

This winter we went a bit kerrrazzzeee on mounting lots of new nest boxes and feeding platforms which have been well used by tits, sparrow's, finches and our resident robins. Nick, who used to farm here with his father Tony, has planted out some horse chestnut trees in the front field and we plan to introduce more trees later on this year As well as providing shade for our retired horses they will also serve as additional bird nesting sites and sources of food. We are liaising with a local wildlife group "Chalk and Hawk" about the sitting of nesting places for barn owls and kestrels. Please look out for the nature cameras we will be introducing to our website over the next few weeks.

In our quest to slay dragons of waste and pollution we are focusing on reducing the amount of lorries coming on to the farm for deliveries and collections. We have worked a little smarter on the coordination of our raw ingredients ordering process. We now take in more ingredients in one go and have extended our storage space to accommodate these larger deliveries. We are currently investigating the merits of switching from foil trays to baking in cardboard trays. As with all things green, there is contention about just how low carbon either option actually is. Once we have figured it out, with the help of our carbon footprint advisor, we will be back to give you the results.

One benefit to using the foil trays is that they is that they are collected and made into bales for recycling each fortnight. The team who recycle the trays are very dear to us and they are from the Poole Adult Supported Employment team. Each team member has special needs either mentally, physically or both. According to their team leaders, Angie and Barry, they get a lot of pleasure and confidence from the various supported employment tasks they are given to do.

We really look forward to their foil collection visits. They are full of smiles and they enjoy seeing the animals on the farm and saying Hi to us all. I guess there is a lot of immeasurable value to the community orientated aspects of life at Honeybuns. Strictly speaking it might not be as green to use and recycle foils but how can we price the feel good factor of our unique foil collections?

The Bee Hop is our family friendly one day festival held here at Naish Farm. The festival has evolved from the first party we held 4 years ago to celebrate our move to Dorset. It is now a mini gem of a festival with the emphasis on live music and the arts. Having lots of friends with young children we realised that attending large festivals was too stressful and expensive for them to enjoy.

We all give our time freely to organise the Bee Hop and our sponsors deserve a special mention and thank you. Without their support we would not be able to continue with the event. So thank you to our main sponsors:

We are: Cath - packing room Aaron - goods in Matt - finance!!! Em - sales/marketing Ted - Em's bruv- IT Expert Honey - will be doing up to 6 miles and then resting her paws. (if its not too hot)

Forthcoming Events 2007 Saturday 7th April, The Bee Shack, Naish Farm, 10am - 5pm - Easter Egg Hunt Saturday 5th May, The Bee Shack, Naish Farm, 10am - 5pm - Celebration of Summer Sunday 6th May, The Pink Peacock Charity Walk, Sherborne Castle 25th - 27th May, Leckford Festival, Stockbridge, Hampshire 28th May, Sherborne Castle Country Fair, Sherborne Castle Saturday 2nd June, The Bee Shack, Naish Farm, 10am - 5pm - Countdown to the Bee Hop

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