Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2008 | Page 97

FOOD & DRINK

life

seasonal produce by Martin Potter

vegetable

fish

meat

fruit

Sweetcorn grown locally is
sweeter this time of year as
it is picked freshly.

You can now buy oysters
and mussels from local
Island fishmongers/
fisherman.

This season you have all the
ingredients handy to make
a rich game pie served with
some nice local potatoes.

Hedgerows are abundant
with blackberries which
together with seasonal
apples make tasty crumbles.

Carrots, cauliflower,
courgettes, fresh peas,
spinach, sweetcorn, lettuce,
beetroot and onions.

Skate, crayfish, oysters,
mussels, brown trout,
john dory.

Hare, partridge, wood
pigeon, duck, venison
and grouse (from the 12th)

Gooseberries, blackberries,
figs, plums, grapes,
elderberries, rhubarb,
greengages, pears & apples.

chefs table talk... by Anne Bishop

English honey
under threat
In England we produce a wonderful variety
of honeys. The rural scene of beekeepers
and their hives that typifies the rustic idyll is
under threat.
In America where bee colonies are farmed,
they are moved from site to site to pollinate
crops. Sadly, the stress and over work is
resulting in the decline of the American Bee.
Terry Willis is the chairman of the Isle of
Wight Beekeeping Association, which
has over 90 members. A respected island
authority on this subject, he explained some
of the reasons why the bee population is
declining.
Bees are essential for pollinating certain
plants. They are particularly important for
pollinating fruit trees and soft fruit as well as
crops such as oil seed rape.
The mild winter followed by a wet spring
and colder than usual summer has severely
affected the bee colonies. Terry explained

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that during mild winters the bees remain
more active and need more food.
The poor summers last year and this year
have severely affected the colonies.
Increased growth of cereal crops such as
wheat and barley, which produce no pollen,
have also affected the food supply of honey
bees.
The habitat of the bees dictates the flavour
of the honey. In Scotland, bees that feed
on heather give the honey a singular taste.
On the Isle of Wight there are half a dozen
producers who make enough honey to sell
to the general public.
Island honey is popular with Tourist and
island residents alike. Honey is becoming
more and more popular. Demand on the
island outstrips supply. People appreciate
the natural sweetness of honey, a pure
unadulterated product

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