The cream of the strawberry crop
In the 90s they fell out of favour... but now pick-your-own farms report booming sales under sunny skies
ONCE A preserve of the great British summer, the simple act of strawberry picking seemed for a while to have fallen out of fashion.
Now the region’s farmers are reporting a steady return as families find joy in foraging for fruit amid a tangle of sun-ripened runners.
Last year there was a sudden boom in British strawberry sales, according to findings from the nation’s trade bodies. For farmer Tom Spilman, of Church Farm in Sessay, near Thirsk, his pick-your-own fields have seen business like never before.
“Last year was the best we’ve had by a long way,” said Mr Spilman, whose father Richard began growing strawberries here 50 years ago, and who now cares for 15 acres of runners.
“This year it’s already been so busy as well. It’s looking to be a good summer.”
At Spilmans, the strawberries are hand tended, with birds like partridge and skylark nesting among the rows. But the growing season got off to a tricky start this year, he said.
In April alone the farm had 15 spells of frost, followed by one of the rainiest Mays on record.
From one extreme to another, June saw endless days of sunshine, with the result being fields full of berries.
Early last season, with restrictions in place, Mr Spilman had noticed a rising number of family visitors.
This year they are returning, he said.
“It’s getting out in the fresh air and it’s a good thing to do as a family,” he said.
At Kemps Farm in Horsforth, near Leeds, Rory Kemp’s sons Joe, 27, and Will, 25, will be the fourth generation of his family to tend the land, as well as a second farm at Malton.
When he graduated from college in 1984 Rory set up some pick-your-own fields with the support of his dairy farmer father David.
Those fields have now grown to 12 acres spread out over 30.
It had boomed through the 1980s, he said, with his traditional clientele being an often older generation of women who were collecting fruit to turn into home-made jam.
But in the 1990s the popularity of pick-your-own-fruit had waned, as a generation seemed to lose interest.
But Mr Kemp said: “Now, with a growing awareness of food miles, and with people wanting to know where their food comes from, it’s all changed again.
“A lot of people appreciate that open space – and a naturally grown berry.”