Bees at the Balmoral are a hive of activity

One of Edinburgh’s top luxury hotels is creating a buzz, by producing its own honey in rooftop hives for its famous fine dining restaurant.

The five star Balmoral Hotel installed bee hives on its roof last year. The first annual batch of “Balmoral Honey” has now been collected, with enough to make desserts for the next 12 months.

Native Scottish black honeybees produce the deep orange, floral tasting “urban” honey now being used in the apple, Balmoral honey and autumnal spices dessert served in the hotel’s 4 AA Rosette fine dining restaurant, Number One.

The sweet ingredient makes four different elements of the dish, including a honey crumble, honeycomb and honey crémeux together with honey and milk ice cream.

The dessert has been added to the restaurant’s three course a la carte menu, which features a supplier card informing diners where ingredients are sourced, and has quickly become a favourite pick.

Senior Sous Chef John Munro, who is also the hotel’s beekeeper, said the honeybee enterprise offers diners a culinary experience unique to The Balmoral, while also supporting urban biodiversity in the heart of the capital, with zero food miles.

He said: “People are loving it. It’s great honey and the supplier card informs our guests that it comes from our own apiary on the roof, which is a real selling point.

“Our bees will forage around the city centre and places like Arthur’s Seat and Princes Street Gardens and so if one of our diners sees a honey bee on a walk around the city, it might be one of ours.

“It’s unique and it’s sustainable as well. There are no food miles and there is no waste.”

John, 34, is originally from Kinlochbervie in Sutherland. The former crofter developed an interest in beekeeping while in a previous position in a country restaurant in England.

He joined the Edinburgh and Midlothian Beekeepers Association (EMBA) after arriving at The Balmoral three years ago and introduced the first box of threatened Scottish black honeybees to the rooftop last July.

There are now three hives of the native bees thriving in the shadow of the hotel’s iconic clock tower.

Each hive is home to over 50,000 bees that forage in the city and up to three miles away.

They produce around 13kg of pure honey per hive – enough to supply Number One until the next harvest.

John said: “It’s an urban honey, quite floral because of where the hives are located, in the city centre, with the bees foraging in local parks and gardens.

“The floral flavour comes from summer flowers like nasturtium and cherry blossoms you find in Princes Street Gardens.

“It’s quite a rich, deep orange colour and it doesn’t set so it’s very clear. It looks a bit like whisky in that way.

“We got 13 kg from each hive – enough to sustain the restaurant for the next year.”

While there is currently enough honey to make a special dessert for the sophisticated basement level restaurant, it is hoped to produce enough to supply the whole hotel in future years.

Wax from the hives could be used to make candles or wax letter seals.

John said: “This is only the first year for our bees. At the moment, three hives is a good number but we’ll just see where it goes. It would be great to produce some more honey and give it to the other kitchens to use.

“The more we get the more we can do with it.”

He added: “One of the byproducts from the hives is beeswax, which I’ve played with as well. It’s the most versatile thing you get from the hive as it can be used for everything from candles to sealing envelopes.”

Andrew McPherson, General Manager, The Balmoral, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have our own beehives on the roof of The Balmoral.

“It’s a wonderful way to contribute to local biodiversity right here in the heart of Edinburgh, while also creating something truly special for our guests in Number One.

“It’s also immensely rewarding to see our rooftop bees inspiring such passion and innovation in the kitchen.”