Home Farm MK began with one unexpected hive, two curious co-founders and a shared ambition to build a more wholesome way of life.
What started in Milton Keynes has grown into an independent, founder-led business creating exceptional English honey, imaginative small-batch flavours and memorable experiences that bring people closer to the remarkable world of bees.
In 2021, we decided to take a step away from corporate life and towards something more grounded.
Our original plan had nothing to do with honey. We were restoring a collection of Victorian greenhouses in Milton Keynes, with the intention of growing crops hydroponically. We needed bees to help pollinate the plants.
There was just one problem.
We bought the wrong bees.
Instead of the pollinators we thought we were purchasing, we became the slightly unprepared owners of a colony of honey bees. That first hive found a home on nearby land, and our accidental journey into beekeeping began.
Whenever we told someone what had happened, they asked the same question:
“Do you have any honey?”
At first, the answer was no. But it planted an idea.
Learning One Hive at a Time
We did not begin as expert beekeepers.
We learned by watching, reading, asking questions and making hundreds of mistakes. We battled wasps, navigated the unpredictable British weather and gradually learned to understand the rhythms of a honey bee colony.
Our first honey harvest arrived in July 2021.
The extraction was a wonderfully messy affair, but tasting honey produced by our own bees for the first time changed everything. It gave us a glimpse of what Home Farm MK could become.
That original hive had started as a happy accident. It was now the beginning of something much bigger.
“We started with the wrong bees, made hundreds of mistakes and discovered something we genuinely loved.”
From Our First Hive to Home Farm MK
2021: The Happy Accident
Our greenhouse project unexpectedly introduced us to honey bees, beekeeping and the possibility of building a different kind of life.
July 2021: Our First Honey Harvest
After learning as we went, we extracted our first crop of English honey. It was messy, memorable and the moment everything began to feel real.
2023: Our First Commercial Apiary
As our knowledge and colony numbers grew, we established our first commercial apiary and began taking the next step from curious new beekeepers to honey producers.
2023: Sharing the Experience
We launched our first beekeeping experience day, inviting people to step into the apiary, meet the bees and discover what life inside a hive is really like.
September 2024: A New Take on English Honey
Our curiosity moved from the apiary into the kitchen. We began developing flavoured honeys in small batches, experimenting with ingredients and combinations that could bring something genuinely different to the table.
British Tradition with a Curious Spirit
Honey is one of nature’s simplest and most remarkable foods. We believe it should be treated with care.
We harvest honey from our own responsibly managed apiaries around Milton Keynes and prepare our products in small batches. This allows us to remain closely connected to the bees, the honey and every jar that carries the Home Farm MK name.
Tradition sits at the heart of what we do, but so does experimentation.
Our flavoured honeys grew from a willingness to test ideas, refine recipes and explore new ways to enjoy a familiar British product. Some experiments work beautifully. Others send us back to the beginning. That process of building, learning and improving is part of who we are.
Discover Our Honey
Built on a Strong Partnership
Home Farm MK is led by its co-founders, Adrian and Gabby.
We both keep bees and remain closely involved in developing and running the business. We bring different but complementary strengths to the partnership.
Adrian leads much of the beekeeping operation, takes on the heavy lifting and is usually responsible for the next ambitious idea. Gabby brings commercial judgement, practical focus and the ability to turn those ideas into something customers can experience and enjoy.
One of us is always asking:
“What could we build next?”
The other is working out how to make it happen.
That balance has helped Home Farm MK grow from one accidental hive into an ambitious British honey business. Our partnership is built on curiosity, honest challenge and a shared willingness to keep learning.
For us, Home Farm MK has always been about building, learning and enjoying the opportunity to give something back.
Rooted in Milton Keynes. Growing Beyond It.
We are proud to be building Home Farm MK in Milton Keynes.
Our apiaries, local markets, education and beekeeping experiences keep us connected to the people and places around us. That local foundation gives the business its character and continues to shape how we grow.
Our ambition is to become a recognised local brand with a national presence. We want more people across the country to discover exceptional English honey, explore imaginative new flavours and experience the extraordinary world of honey bees.
We intend to grow without losing the curiosity, independence and personal accountability that come from being a founder-led business. However large Home Farm MK becomes, Adrian and Gabby’s standards, ideas and values will remain at its heart.
Our Next Chapter
There are more hives to care for, more habitats to support and many more ideas waiting to be tested.
As business partners, we share a clear ambition: to build a distinctive British brand known for exceptional honey, original products and meaningful connections between people and bees.
We want to introduce more people to beekeeping, continue challenging expectations of what honey can be and demonstrate that an independent business can grow without losing the principles on which it was founded.
While we book up our calendar for the rest of year, please check back here for new events as we will be adding to this regularly as dates are confirmed.
If we aren’t in your area yet, we can deliver to you by placing your order here
