The Slow Newscast The great British honey scandal
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Aug 26, 2025 Sarah Wyndham Lewis is a trained honey sommelier and innovative beekeeper allergic to bees, bringing a unique perspective to the honey industry. She highlights the unsettling rise of honey fraud, revealing how sugar syrup often masquerades as real honey. The podcast dives into the environmental factors that influence honey's taste and the urgent challenges urban beekeepers face. Listeners learn about a significant honey adulteration scandal and the crucial need for regulatory reform to protect authentic honey amid a flooded market.
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Tasting Honey Reveals Place
- Sarah Wyndham Lewis tastes a variety of global honeys and describes vivid flavours like "wet nappy" and "burnt rubber."
- Her tasting shows honey can be intensely regional and deeply characterful, not one generic flavour.
London Beekeepers Versus Supermarket Honey
- Jon visits urban beekeepers in London and samples a pricey Bermondsey Street B's jar.
- The episode contrasts artisanal jars with cheap supermarket squeezy honey.
Price Drops Hint At Fraud
- Wholesale honey prices halved about a decade ago while global exports rose sharply.
- Experts suspect widespread adulteration explains falling prices despite lower production.