The Beardy Wizard

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The Beardy Wizard

A drinks lounge tackling climate change with the knowledge of the past, when sustainability was a way of life.

11/12/2025

An Obituary For My Bees

As many of you know, I loved my bees. Sometimes you couldn’t get me to shut up about them at the bar, and my partner probably wished I talked about her with such tenderness! The bees literally worked their wings ragged through rain and shine (mostly rain) to make what I considered the most delicious honey in the world. Their sacrifice made the shop run, and I always felt humbled to be gifted their harvest. It was a welcome burden to try and honour their work by making the most delicious Hampshire Honeydew possible.

When I shut my shop last year, I entrusted the sacred care of those precious lives to what I considered a good friend. This person said they wanted to take on the responsibility and grow the apiaries, and I was happy to not have to say goodbye to my dear winged friends (Bee-yonce was my favourite). I offered to sell them to another beekeeper, but this person was insistent that they wanted to take them on.

I returned last week to find that despite constant contact to the contrary, the bees had been abandoned. Some hives had been robbed, some had piles of dead bees from preventable disease, others covered in wax moth. In total, millions of bees had been killed by neglect, and the hard work we put into our apiaries over the last five years had been destroyed. The few remaining bees were so angry at me, that as soon as I went to apologise to them, the air filled with the smell of fake banana (their warning pheromone). As they tried to sting me through my suit, all I could do was apologise…

I can’t overstate how devastating this has been for me. I spent the last week shedding tears while sweeping bee carcasses into bin bags, clearing up their diarrhoea from hive boxes, and burning frames infested with wax moth. The person who did this had plenty of opportunity to be honest and spare them this fate but chose not to.

Part of this post is to share my feelings. Partly it is a reflection on the responsibility we have to nature, one that we can’t just separate ourselves from. It is also to let you know that I will not have as much honey to sell on Saturday as I planned, or the honey-based products that I had planned to make

E ✨

10/12/2025

We live in an age of ‘hacks’. Shortcuts that save us supposedly ‘precious’ time. While ignoring the 6+ hours we spend on our devices each day…

But you have to be honest with food for it to reach its full potential. Especially when it’s gathered and prepared properly. Sometimes time is the most precious ingredient. Waiting for a hearth to warm, patiently allowing dough to rise. Checking daily for when those spring shoots are their most succulent, or that calf is at its fattest.

I see many short cuts online for sloe gin. ‘Use cheap gin from aldi’ one redditor says. ‘It’s not worth wasting your money on nice booze for that’ says another. ‘Just squash all the sloes with a potato masher’ My favourite is ‘just whack [the sloes] in the freezer’. For what is supposed to be a national drink, I would expect a bit more reverence. Throwing sloes in a freezer bursts the cells in the fruit, yes. Yes, this allows the juice to be more easily infused. But anyone who tells you to put early-season sloes in a freezer has never had the patience to gather the last fruits off a mid-winter bush, or taste a well-aged sloe gin made with those carefully infused berries.

I know we’re all in a rush these days, but think about the sacrifices that come with ignoring the precious nature of time in how we nourish ourselves.

E ✨

07/12/2025

Hello from the forests of England 👋 I have returned from a year of solitude and am preparing for this week’s winter gathering by collecting ingredients like a squirrel tardy for hibernation. But as I listen to the frosty leaves crunch beneath my feet and the distant call of a startled pheasant, I feel the rehydration of my soul and am reflective on the importance of why I practice this craft.

There is a deep intimacy with nature one attains through foraging and TRULY living within the local ecosystem. The knowledge of myth, tradition, and history that lightly shrouds every plant one passes by. A timeline of communities and codependence so vast that it makes our fleeting existence seem insignificant. I find comfort in this. It is the ultimate balm to this AI-led age.

And so with this in mind, I look forward to an evening of celebrating what is important- sharing laughs, stories, and the bounty of nature’s labour together this Saturday with you wonderful people. Can’t wait to see you all there (DM me with any questions).

E ✨

05/12/2025

Picking like a headless chicken for my winter event next Saturday… i personally think these winter hops have so much more flavour than when they’re picked green. They’ll be going into a herbal honey syrup for some foraged cookies I’ll be (trying) to make based off a 1500s fried biscuit recipe🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Stoked to share with you guys soon!

E ✨

30/11/2025

Sneak peek of my new woodsman syrup labels! I'm super excited to share these with you all in two weeks! If you're attending the winter gathering, please send in your deposit to secure your bottle. It'll be deducted from your purchases on the day and helps me cover expenses. Check your inbox (and spam!) for more info. Sending festive love and cheer! ❤️🎄🎄 - Eoghan ✨

25/11/2025

If you’ve signed up for my Winter Gathering, please check your email — I’ve sent important details and a quick deposit request so I can prep enough bottles, jars, and goodies for everyone!

It’s shaping up to be a genuinely special night — foraged flavours, winter bakes, new experiments… and a chance to reconnect properly.

If you haven’t seen the email, give me a shout! And if you are still looking for a spot, drop me a DM.

Can’t wait to see you all ✨

Eoghan

07/11/2025

My winter event signup is closing this Sunday evening 😊 If you want to get your hands on the only woodsman syrup I’ll be bottling this year, or nab some nice Xmas foodie gifts, fill in the google doc on my linktree in my bio (https://www.thebeardywizard.com/link-tree). To all those who have responded already- I’ll be reaching out next week with more details!

Eoghan✨

26/10/2025

My ‘Winter Gathering’ Event has already oversubscribed! But I am leaving the sign up link open for another ten days for anyone who hasn’t managed to sign up (available on my bio). If I manage to find a bigger venue and make more space, I will let you all know by mid-November. THANK YOU so much for the support- you guys are absolutely awesome! I can’t wait to reconnect and share some good festive vibes.

✨ Eoghan ✨

14/10/2025

ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT!! Sign up for my winter event in London on December 13th and 14th using the linktree in my IG bio. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has already responded- I’ve been really touched ❤️ I’ll have woodsman syrup bottled from storage, am working on a hot spiced medlar drink, and some Anglo-colonial cookies amongst other things ✨

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