Camden News - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS Published: 4 December 2008
Toby Mason shows off his exclusive honey, which is produced in the Inner Circle of Regent’s Park
Sweet taste of success: Venture capitalist swaps depression for a new cash crop
FIVE years ago Toby Mason was working as a venture capitalist – a job he hated so much that it drove him to depression and addiction. Following a stint in rehab, he took up a course in cooking and a course in bee-keeping with the North London BeeKeepers’ Association, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Now the 37-year-old spends his time looking after his 15-month-old son at his Bloomsbury home and tending to his 30 hives in the Inner Circle of Regent’s Park – the “perfect escape” from his previously hectic lifestyle.
He describes his Pure Food Regent’s Park Honey – which comes in at £7.95 a pot and is the only honey produced in a central London park – as the most expensive and exclusive in the country.
Pots of the Royal Park honey can be found in several shops including Melrose & Morgan deli in Primrose Hill and high end hotels. “I couldn’t have gone back to my old job so I started as a hobbyist beekeeper and was very lucky to get the site here” he said. “It couldn’t be further from my old job – that was all about money and this is all about honey.”
So popular is his honey – and so limited are his hives and bees – that demand always outstrips supply.