I F you are lucky enough to stay at Combe House at Gittisham, you may be in for a special breakfast treat – honey from owner Ken Hunt's hives, which can be found in the hotel's walled kitchen garden. This is lovely fragrant honey as the bees have fed on a mix of plants and flowers in the walled garden and the wild flower meadows and woods beyond.

But across the world the honey bee is in crisis. Diseases such as varroa and sudden colony collapse – sometimes known as Marie Celeste syndrome, in which whole colonies simply disappear, deserting their hives – are the two main causes, although hives in Britain are apparently less affected than in America and many European countries.

Beekeepers see their charges as sentinels, a marker of what man is doing to his natural environment. These sophisticated creatures are a vital part of our food chain, pollinating a large proportion of our food crops as well as the plants and flowers on which livestock graze.

Having no honey to spread on our toast and crumpets, to add to our porridge and use for cooking, will be the least of our worries. More important is the threat to future food supplies, the shortage of crops and food if we lose these vital workers, which are responsible for pollinating about a third of all the food we consume, from broccoli to apples, strawberries to walnuts, and many other fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Imagine an orchard, full of apple blossom, where the air is full of the sound of bees busily going about their work. Now imagine that orchard silent, no bees, no bird song with leafy trees bearing no fruit.

In addition to this role the honey bee provides us with one of the most natural, varied and lovely foods – honey. Bumble bees, also key pollinators, differ as they nest in the ground or hedges, and only produce enough honey to feed their young.

"The combination of the past two wet summers plus the impact of imported diseases and varroa mites on the bee population have been disastrous for all beekeepers," says Chris Tozer of The Bee Team from Bideford.

But Peter Hunt, a beekeeper and consultant based on the edge of Dartmoor is less gloomy. He reports that in general most bee colonies have come through the winter well, with fewer losses than predicted.

Last year's poor harvest means that the price of honey has already gone up and there could be shortages this year. But thanks to the recent good weather some beekeepers are already harvesting their first crop of honey.

British beekeepers produce between 3,000 and 4,000 tonnes of honey a year. We import more than 20,000 tonnes from around the world including Mexico, China and Argentina. To make 1lb of honey, worker bees collectively fly the equivalent of three times round the world, usually within a mile or so of their hive, sucking up the nectar of millions of flowers en route and pollinating as they go.

For honey produced in the early spring bees often feed on blackthorn and sycamore blossom; then comes oilseed rape honey, often frowned upon by some beekeepers because of its bland taste, but bees apparently love it. This is often the source of most honey blends found in supermarkets. In early summer the honey will be based on clover and blackberry flowers while in the autumn, in upland areas, heather is the base.

"Heather can bring in some interesting flavoured honeys," says Cornish beekeeper Rodger Dewhurst. "In 2007 I had a good crop at the end of August, but later they brought in another tasty type, they must have found another floral source."

Set or runny, or still in the comb, ranging from light, creamy buff, to golden, pale yellow or a deep toffee colour, honey varies according to the bees, plants and the beekeeper. It can be smooth, liquid or grainy. The differing sugar levels affect the rate at which honey crystallises. Honeys derived from oilseed rape nectar tend to crystallise quickly – the process is also temperature dependent – but heating set or granulised honey will make it liquid again.

"It is a wonderful, wholesome product having a concentrated high carbohydrate for bees," continues Peter Hunt, but in fact it is just as good for us too, containing health-giving properties, and full of anti-oxidants. Many people know about taking honey and lemon for coughs and colds or for sore throats, but honey is also used to treat cuts and minor burns. Some varieties, such as Manuka honey, are reputed to help boost immune systems when treating some forms of cancer. The natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates are easily absorbed by the body.

For some of us the best and only way to eat honey is straight from the comb, spread on toast or stirred into a creamy rice pudding. Simple and understated, but with a real intensity of flavour. Honey is an excellent substitute for sugar, but quantities often need revising downwards to adjust for sweetness.

Otherwise honey is incredibly versatile and can be used for biscuits, flapjacks, sauces, smoothies, ice cream and marinades, for roasting vegetables, for coating chicken or spare ribs for barbecues, in many main courses – glazing whole hams, or with cider for roasting chickens, producing a lovely sauce using the pan juices.

Honey is an essential ingredient for halva and nougat, gingerbread and ginger biscuits, and the French pain d'epices. Or how about this for the ultimate healthy breakfast? Mix together some Greek yoghurt, some toasted flaked almonds and a handful of raisins, then drizzle over some clear honey.

For more inspiration, Dorset TV chef and food writer Lesley Waters has created a range of recipes for the Honey Association and National Honey Week. Little Honey Chefs can be downloaded from www.honeyassociation.com and is designed to appeal to chefs young and old.

We must treasure this wonderful, natural, health giving food, support local beekeepers and hope that, to paraphrase Rupert Brooke, there will still be honey for our tea in years to come.