A day with bees at the "Cortesano Honey Ranch” (Rancho Cortesano de la miel)

One of the most fun, entertaining and strangest things that you can come across in Andalusia is the visit to the Honey Ranch in Jerez de la Frontera. Over 2000 beehives, a wonderful organic restaurant that will deceive your palate more than once, entertaining workshops and a range of activities to carry out with family and friends, which we will show you in just a minute, and we're sure that you'll want to pay a visit.

In unique surroundings, 15 kilometres from Jerez and surrounded by meadows, is the famous Cortesano Ranch, setup by a Andalusian family business which, with much love and work, have won 5 first prizes at the Andalusian honey show.

Honey and bees museum

A visit to the Cortesano Rancho begins at the "Honey and bees museum”.

In this first part of the visit we will take a look at a beehive without bees. We will see how the bees make wax, collect pollen and make royal jelly and we will learn about the properties of the poison

You will also discover the benefits honey, trying out creams and products originating from beehives which, together with loads of interesting facts, will astound you.

It's amazing how these small living beings regulate nature to such a point that without them the balance of nature would not be possible.

Tasting honey and delights from the Beehive

With a better understanding of bees following the visit to the honey museum the time comes to try some sweet treats!

Just as if it was a natural pot, our guide scratches out honey directly from an empty beehive in order to try 100% authentic honey, to learn how to differentiate not only the colour, flavour and properties between the different types, but also to appreciate an organic honey in comparison to what we are used to buying from supermarkets.

Millefeuille with walnuts or cider, chocolate with honey and a wonderful mint tea sweetened with honey are other delicacies that you can try before going to the changing room to put on beekeeper outfits. Yes, you read well! Real beekeeper outfits.

Visit the bees dressed as real beekeepers!

One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the day is the visit to the beehives.

Gloves, trousers, suit, some quick instructions and a walk through the forest until reaching the beehives, where we come face to face with the bees without any kind of glass.

The first time you walk between the beehives it can be startling. You're surrounded by these tiny bugs which we normally flee from, but this time we have come to see them work and we get stung without fear.

The experience is amazing. Seeing how they begin to leave the beehive, the sound and of course being able to see up-close how they work the honey is an unforgettable experience.

Learning how to shape the beeswax

Following the great time we had visiting the bees, we take our beekeeper outfit off and they show us how to make beeswax candles in a fantastic and interesting workshop on wax and clay where we make some lovely aromatic candles.

The candles we normally have at home tend to contain a lot of paraffin. They're not 100% organic. The ones that we are making here today at the Cortesano Ranch are not just organic, but they are carved by the bees themselves.

Lunchtime!

Following interesting facts, bees and workshops, it's lunchtime, but that doesn't mean that we have to leave the Ranch. Far from it.

Up until now we have shared loads of experiences with you, all of them organic, based around the world of bees. Well, the food also lived up to expectations and in the restaurant is a range of healthy and organic food with produce from the vegetable gardens around the farm. We tricked our palate with delicious recipes that didn't have meat, although they gave you the sensation of eating it.

Look at how good this salad looks!

The first impression when they put the plates in front of you is not knowing exactly what it is. However, when you try them you discover some delicious flavours behind the plates such as honey-roast pumpkin

These spectacular chard croquettes with Roquefort were amazing

Scrambled eggs with nettles with potatoes and garlic mayonnaise to die for!

A wonderful risotto with vegetables from the garden, a tomato soup or this spectacular aubergine pie with red bell pepper sauce which, as we say here, "it takes your breath away"

And, of course, we couldn't forget the desserts Sweet potatoes roasted with honey and millefeuille, a creamed goat's milk yoghurt with orange blossom honey, a pumpkin cake with strawberries from the garden or a carrot cake with honey and coconut.

As you can see, very original, and lots of honey!

A honey which, together with the bees, are the stars of a visit which when you arrive, you have the impression that bees sting and hurt you but you leave with a completely different concept. A concept which makes you realise how important bees are in nature, how much we have to learn from them with regard to teamwork and the thankful we should be to these small workers for making the honey that has so many sweet benefits.