made when elderflowers bloom in abundance. If the bloom isn’t good, we skip the batch entirely, rather than forcing production or substituting ingredients. Do you source ingredients locally, and how does this a ect the flavour profiles of your meads? Yes, we source honey from a family-run apiary in Galgate, Lancaster, which supplies both their honey and honey from small, family-run apiaries worldwide. As the UK produces only about 10% of its honey, we also source premium imported honey, such as Vitex polyfloral honey from the Mediterranean and Ukrainian wildflower honey. Sometimes, we collaborate with local beekeepers, like Bax Bees in Knutsford, creating limited batches from their honey. Each batch reflects the specific flora, weather, and season of its source, much like wine. This natural variability is why large-scale mead producers often shy away from using pure honey, but for us, it’s a feature, not a flaw. Which mead varieties are your best-sellers, and how would you recommend customers pair them with food? Our Viking’s Blood Mead, a blend of blackcurrant, blackberry, and blueberry, is a top seller alongside Aegir’s Mead, a traditional recipe. We also have seasonal varieties like Krampus’ Spiced Mead, which tastes like Christmas with hints of mince pie spices. For food pairing, I encourage customers to experiment! Freya’s Mead pairs beautifully with spicy dishes and chocolate, while Elderberry Mead makes an excellent cheese companion, standing in for port. Our aged meads are perfect as digestifs, in place of brandy or cognac.
Things became more serious in 2012 when I met Ann, who encouraged me to turn my hobby into a business. Since then, our production has grown significantly—from 200L batches to 1200L—but we’ve stayed true to our original, chemical-free approach. Can you explain the process of making mead, and how does your approach di er from traditional methods? Making mead is beautifully simple yet requires precision. It starts with honey, water, and yeast, plus a touch of nutrient. For us and other craft mead makers, the process hasn’t changed much since its beginnings in 6500 BC in China or 2800 BC in Scotland. While we now use commercial brewing yeasts to prevent spoilage, the essence of mead-making is the same. At Lancashire Mead Company, we let the honey lead the process naturally. There’s no artificial temperature control or preservatives; the honey dictates the fermentation speed, and we respect that. What makes your mead unique compared to other producers in the UK? We’re distinct because we use 100% raw honey with no fortifications or added spirits. The mead ferments naturally and is filtered down to 0.2 microns without clarification agents or sulphites. We ferment everything at ambient temperature (about 22°C in our meadery), which encourages a secondary fermentation known as Malo Lactic Fermentation (MLF). This MLF is similar to the beneficial bacteria in some probiotics and imparts a signature nutty flavour to our mead. Quality and patience are at the core of what we do. For instance, our Elderflower Mead can only be
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