A Class of their own
The highlight of the Guernsey Bee Keepers Association social calendar must surely be our annual Honey Show. It brings the local bee keeping community together in a gently competitive way, affording us all the opportunity to highlight our many and various skills - whether we keep bees or not.
For those of you with a competitive streak, here is a list of the classes. Remember, you can enter as many classes as you like and you don’t have to be a bee keeper to enter, but you do need to be a member of the GBKA. (Current membership £20).
HONEY & WAX CLASSES
Class 1 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of liquid honey – light
Class 2 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of liquid honey – medium
Class 3 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of liquid honey – dark
Class4 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of honey – creamed
Class 5 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of honey – chunked
Class 6 - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of honey – naturally granulated
Class 7 - One 1Ib metal capped jars of honey – to be judged solely on flavour
Class 8 - Novice Class* - Two 1Ib metal capped jars of honey – any variety
Class 9 - One section of honey in the comb, in a display box visible from both sides and removable by the judge
Class 10 - One container of cut honey in the comb, in a standard white commercial container
Class 11 - One frame suitable for extracting, in a display case visible from both sides and removable by the judge
Class 12 - Beeswax, plainly moulded, weight 6-8 oz
Class 13 - Beeswax, 3 blocks using 1oz moulds
Class 14 - Two beeswax candles, made using a mould. To be displayed upright. One to be lit by the judge
Class 15a - Two beeswax candles, rolled. To be displayed upright. One to be lit by the judge
Class 15b - Two beeswax candles, dipped. To be displayed upright. One to be lit by the judge
Class 16 - A decorated beeswax candle. To be displayed upright. To be lit by the judge
Class 17 - Novice Class* - One block of beeswax, plainly moulded, weight 6-8 oz OR 3 blocks using 1oz moulds
Class 18 - One bottle of mead, displayed in a clear glass bottle
Class 19 - One bottle of alcoholic beverage, other than mead, displayed in a clear glass bottle
Class 20 - One bottle of non alcoholic beverage, displayed in a clear glass bottle
Class 21 - Five matching jars of honey labelled as for sale – label to be part of the entry (see guidelines)
Class 22 - Any miscellaneous inedible product, not included in classes 13-18, containing or using honey or beeswax (product to be identified)
Class 23 - An original display of home produced beekeeping products and/or equipment not covered by any other class
Class 24 - Any homemade beekeeping item or accessory, excluding kit previously shown
Class 25 - A table decoration making use of a homemade beeswax candle or candles (base not exceeding 9inches)
Class 26 - A home designed and home printed sheet of labels for the selling of a product of the hive. Honey or cut-comb labels to be in accordance with the Guernsey requirements
Class 27 - Gift presentation pack. Either personal gift or commercial to be labelled accordingly
Class 28 - Any decorative or artistic exhibit relating to bees, beekeeping. Title permitted and detailed description of item may also be displayed
COOKERY CLASSES
Class 29 - Five honey and sultana scones
Class 30 - Five small cakes or buns of one variety
Class 31 - Honey Cake (made to the published recipe)
Class 32 - Honey Fruit Cake, cooked in a round tin of 6-8 inch diameter
Class 33 - Any baking using honey, other than Fruit Cake or published Honey Cake from Class 31 & 32
Class 34 - A dessert
Class 35 - 10 sweets
Class 36 - One 1Ib jar of lemon curd
Class 37 - One jar of pickle or chutney
Class 38 - A savoury sauce or condiment
Class 39 - A sweet sauce or condiment
Class 40 - Bread a) Bread Maker b) Handmade
Class 41 - Any savoury item
Class 42 - Any home produced edible product containing honey, beeswax, or other hive product, not eligible for any other class
PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES
Class 43 - Colour or Black & White photo, not closeup, beekeeping related. Maximum size A4, unmounted
Class 44 - Colour or Black & White photo, macro or closeup, beekeeping related. Maximum size A4, unmounted
NOVICE* - To be eligible to enter the Novice classes you must have been beekeeping for 3 years or less, not exhibited before or not won 1st, 2nd or 3rd prizes in previous honey shows.