Dale Gibson of Bermondsey Street Bees talks to us about life on Bermondsey Street and his ongoing campaign for sustainable beekeeping in London. 

Dale Gibson is a true locavore. Ask him about SE1 and you'll get an account that spans its history as the 11th Century causeway between London Bridge and Bermondsey Abbey to its most recent incarnation as one of London’s most exciting and innovative food destinations. 

The common theme is of course honey and Dale’s passion, commitment, and enthusiasm for this most ancient of crafts. “There is a long history of beekeeping in this area and we intend to promote sustainable beekeeping in a way that it won’t just have a long history but have a long and happy future,” says Dale. 

The winner of multiple awards including two Great Taste Awards last year, Dale has been keeping bees on his rooftop in Bermondsey for ten years and championing the importance of responsible beekeeping. With over 3,000 hives registered within a ten kilometres radius of his own rooftop apiary, he is committed to ensuring that London bees are well cared for.  

”Beekeeping is a local business, so the development of forage in London has to be local. As a city we are not making any more green space. Therefore we have to optimise the green space that we have now,” he explains. ​

AS, you know at London Food Essentials, we're true locavores. Ask us what we like to do best: it's easy, we like nothing better than exploring London on foot to discover its local food and artisans. This is why when we were approached by Harper Collins, we were more than happy to promote this great short film.

 Anna Jones is a food writer, former member of Jamie Oliver’s food team, and the bestselling author of A Modern Way To Eat and A Modern Way To Cook. She's also a long term resident of Hackney and good friends with Elly Pear.Elly is also a food writer as well as owner of the Pear Café in Bristol. She's just published her first book, Fast Days & Feast Days. 

Watch this film as Elly and Anna explore Hackney visiting their favourite places from famed E5 Bakehouse to whole leaf tea specialists, Tiosk.