Laura Vann Portia Square Stud Earrings

Naturally sweet and deliciously versatile, we’ve been avowed honey lovers since the early 1800s, when the first jars of honey appeared on our shelves.

We even sent honey to soldiers on the frontlines of the Napoleonic War in 1814. Did the arrival of Fortnum’s honey contribute to the successful vanquishing of old Boney? It certainly wouldn’t have hurt. 

Buzz forward a few centuries, and our obsession with the scrumptious work of the honeybee’s labours has only grown – and today, our shelves are lined with 46 varieties of honey from as far afield as the Alps, New Zealand and Zambia…and as close to home as our very own rooftop.

As well as having Fortnum’s bee hives on famous rooftops across the capital, we have four standing on top of our Piccadilly flagship store – and each year, our honeybees bumble their way to the nearby parks and royal gardens in our neck of the proverbial woods, before returning home and getting to work in one of our Eau de Nil-coloured hives.

And when it’s time to harvest their sweet efforts, we hold an annual (and always very competitive) Honey Raffle for the highly-prized jars. Speaking of which, it's that time of year again…