December 2014 Craig Hughes - Crossmoor Honey

This months featured foodie is aparist Craig Hughes of Crossmoor Honey based in Elswick Lancashire.

Craig and some suitably festive friends

Craig Hughes is a beekeeper with over 30 years experience of keeping bees and 30 years of bee stings and is also a qualified and classically trained chef with many years in the industry.Craig is multi talented and also is a qualified lawyer specialising in European and Islamic law. It was after his brush with cancer that he changed his lifestyle and returned to beekeeping full time.

He is ambitious, desiring 4000 active hives in the next 5 years, is driven by quality and service but retains a common touch. He is gentle with his bees, trying not to move them too much, and considers his livestock as an extension of himself and promotes animal welfare and safety.

Craig has also featured on local radio  and been featured featured in Lancashire Life Magazine and the Farmers Guardian (www.farmersguardian.com) amongst other publications. He has also recently written a book, Urban Beekeeping.

He lives in his beloved Lancashire, and is a keen promoter of local food and is often food selling his honey and associated products at many of the local farmers markets. His products are used in many fine eating establishments across the county. 

As is usual Craig has kindly answered our now familiar questions

·         What is your favourite cookery or food book or publication ?

 Cookery for ten year old's, my first cookery book

·        What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you ?

 Comforting, warm,tasty artisan food

·         If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you like to be ?

Rescuing animals treated badly by mankind

·        Which piece of kit could you not do without ?

My ipad

·         Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

 Joni Mitchell, T.S. Elliot, W.H.Auden Nikolai Copernicus, Eamon Develeria, Salladin.

·         What advice would you give to your younger self?

 Never be a bully, never be bullied.

·         Describe your style in three words

Country, mainly green.

·         What was your latest foodie gadget purchase ?

 Kitchenaid mixer glass bowl

·         What is your greatest achievement to date ?

 Living with a ghost

Tell us a secret about yourself ? may be something we wouldn’t expect !

I once considered buying a citrus plantation in Swaziland