2024 Southwest England Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Southwest England in 2024, by county

Below are the PYO orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas have strawberries orchards or farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

Avon

 

Dorset

• Cat and Fiddle Farm and Café - strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Tayberries, Gooseberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Plums, Runner Beans, Broad Beans and Pumpkins
  Lyndhurst Road, Hinton, Christchurch BH23 7DS. Phone: 01425 672451. Alternate phone: 07587 633111. Email: sopleyfarm@live.co.uk. Open: 7 days a week; May (farm shop only) 10am - 4pm; June - Sept 9am - 6pm; October 10am - 4pm and late every Thursday throughout October for pumpkin picking, from 10am, Last picking 7pm, gates close at 7.30pm Directions: 2 miles from Christchurch , 5 miles from Ringwood on B3347. At Sopley village, take road to Bransgore ( Derritt Lane ) for 0.5 miles. AKA, Dan Tanners. We grow a wide variety of tasty fruit and vegetables. Pick your own or pop into the farm shop for a ready picked selection and enjoy tea, cake, ice cream and more in the café. No need to book - No dogs on the field In 2020, pumpkins are priced at 60p per kg. They have parking, toilets, a picnic area, farm shop and cafe. Some of the fruit and veg are grown for Pick Your Own, and some for selling ready picked through our farm shop and at Farmers Markets across the South of England. Directions: Hinton on the A35 Lyndhurst Road, 2 miles from Christchurch. It really is a great day out and both fun and educational for the children. We do not charge an entrance fee, you just pay for what you pick. Payment: Cash, credit cards, debit cards. There are wheelbarrows and sledges to help pickers transport their pumpkins. We also have Ready Picked available when in season: Asparagus, Rhubarb, Courgettes, Marrows, Potatoes, Garlic, Sweetcorn and some varieties of Squash. You will also find in our Farm Shop fresh free range eggs and local Dorset Honey along with seasonal salad and vegetable produce of which we don’t grow ourselves, but are still grown locally. These include carrots, beetroot, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers and several varieties of lettuce.(formerly called Sopley Farm Farmshop and PYO) (UPDATED: 7 October 2020 JBS)
• Lenctenbury Farm - blueberries, raspberries (red), strawberries, pumpkins
  Soldiers Road Norden, Corfe Castle, BH20 5DU. Phone: 07798743877. Email: office@purbeckfood.co.uk. Open: Every day 10am to 5pm while fruit is in season, usually June to October, daily from 12th October 10:00-17:00 for pumpkin picking in the field plus in the barn there will be ready picked pumpkins, squash and gourds for eating and decorating use.. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: The farm is just off the A351 between Wareham and Corfe Castle. Turn opposite The Halfway Inn and the gate is 150 metres on the left. Postcode BH20 5DU. We are opposite The Halfway Inn on the A351 between Wareham and Corfe Castle.Payment: Cash, credit cards. Click here for our Facebook page. PYO Pumpkins are priced by the weight and will be 90p per kg (2020 price). There will be sledges available for the children (and adults) to drag their pumpkins from the field back to the barn and these will be disinfected between every use. Please come during the week if you can as it is likely to be busy at weekends. Maximum group size is 6 unless everyone is from the same family and we will be limiting the number of groups in the field at one time so there is the potential that customers will have to wait until there is space to go at busy times (weekends). Parking is available right next to the barn and it is 90 metres walk to the pumpkin field. No dogs allowed in the picking fields. Strawberries are usually in season from late June to August. Raspberries are usually in season during July and August. Blueberries are usually in season from early July until the end of August or early September depending on the weather. (UPDATED: 7 October 2020 JBS)) (UPDATED: August 05, 2015)
• Sutton Farm PYO - Fruit and vegetables
  Sutton Hokes, Verwood. Phone: 01202 814236. Open: Please call for opening hours and offerings.
• West Holme Farm - PYO: strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Loganberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants and Gooseberries.
  Wareham, Dorset BH20 6AQ, Phone: 01929 554716. Fax: 01929 551616. Email: office@holmefg.co.uk. They also have a bed and breakfast!
  A visitor writes on August 12, 2011: "We visited Holme Farm PYO near Wareham.  It was very well signposted and laid out and they had a lot of produce, plus a well stocked garden centre, cafe and farm shop.  It was a great place even if you didn't want to PYO!"

Gloucestershire

• Hayles Fruit Farm - PYO fruit: Apples, plums, red and blackcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, Tayberries, Farm Shop, Tea Room
  Winchcombe Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5PB. Phone: 1242-602123. Alternate Phone: 01242 603320. Email: info@HaylesFruitFarm.co.uk. Open: daily from 9 am to 5 pm PYO fields during harvest (usually June ⁄ July) and pick your own strawberries and other soft fruit, Just give us a quick call before you come because harvest dates are very dependent on the weather. Directions: Between Toddington and Winchcombe off the B4632, Next to Hayles Abbey. Follow the signs from the main road. Ample parking, scenic walks, farm trail, picnic area, tea room, easy access for disabled, toilets, disabled facilities, caravan and campsite, fishing lake, nature trail. Also fresh-pressed apple juice.
  Our farm shop prides itself on stocking a wide range of home grown and locally sourced goods. Open throughout the year there is always an array of seasonal fruit and veg. Add to this an eclectic selection of meat, cheese, preserves, oils, cakes, cordials - all supplied by local producers with the same ethos as ourselves - and we feel sure you’ll find something to whet your appetite. The shop also provides a ‘shop window’ for our own award winning apple juice & cider. The fruit is grown, pressed, pasteurised and bottled on the farm to bring you a product that really does involve ‘zero food miles’.(UPDATED: 24 July 2020 JBS)
• Over Farm Market - sunflowers, pumpkins, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, farm market, gift shop, concessions / refreshment stand, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  Over, Gloucester, GL2 8DB. Phone: 01452 521014. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 6 pm; Sunday, from 9:30 am to 5 pm. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: On the A40, just one mile from Gloucester. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard, preferably by contactless and/or Apple/Google Pay. Click here for our Facebook page. Picking strawberries at Over Farm is really easy as all our strawberries are on table tops, so you can do it standing up. No backbreaking bending over required!in 2020, Strawberries are from £6.50 per kg and raspberries and blackberries are from £9.00 per kg (depending on supply). Dogs are allowed in the PYO field but they must be on a lead and please clear up after them. No picnics are allowed in the PYO field please. Our brand new Food Truck is offering a delicious range of bacon butties, burgers, hot dogs, loaded fries and caffeine treats, you really can’t go wrong! Food truck from 10am to 4pm, card only please.
  UPDATE for 2024: apparently, they no longer have PYO raspberries or blackberries, just strawberries, sunflowers and pumpkins.
  (UPDATED: 24 July 2024 JBS) (ADDED: June 17, 2015)
  
  
• Primrose Vale Farm Shop & Pyo - beans, blackberries, boysenberries, broad beans, corn (sweet), currants (red and black), gooseberries, loganberries, other berries, pumpkins, raspberries, strawberries, tayberries, pumpkins, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, other vegetables, restrooms, picnic area
  Shurdington Road Bentham, Cheltenham, GL51 4UA. Phone: 01452 863359. Fax: 01452 864592. Email: info@primrosevale.com. Open: June to September (inclusive) Mon - Sat 9am - 6pm, Sun 10am - 5pm; (June & July Sun 9am - 6pm); October to May (inclusive) Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm, Sun 10am - 4pm. Directions: Find us off the A46 Shurdington Road, 50 yards from the A46 / A417 junction, towards Cheltenham. Not far from the M5 junction 11A, 4.5 miles from Gloucester, 3.5 miles from Cheltenahm. Click here for a map and directions. strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries: June - September Currants: July, Gooseberries, Broad Beans: Mid June - Mid July, Sweetcorn August - Sept. Click here for picking updates. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard, Debit. Farm shop open year round, selling our own and local produce, even when the picking fields are closed.
• Woolstone Orchards - Apples, pears, plums, U-pick and already picked
  Woolstone Orchards Woolstone, Cheltenham, GL52 9RG. Phone: 01242 673278. Email: McGuffieJohn@hotmail.com. Open: Call for details. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Woolstone Orchards is set on a Cotswold outlier overlooking the Severn Valley. The orchards are on a slope, which is ideal for children to pick and play on, giving them plenty of exercise, and room to let off steam. A great family outing. Main Varieties Grown are Victoria Plums, Marjorie's Seedling Plums, Worcester Permain Apples, Lord Lambourne Apples and Conference Pears. (ADDED: July 22, 2019)

Somerset

• Thurloxton Fruit Growers - broad beans, carrots, currants (red and black), flowers, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries (red), rhubarb, tayberries, strawberries,
  Keirles Farm Thurloxton, Taunton, TA2 8RH. Phone: 07970 858536. Alternate Phone: 1823413413. Email: info@thurloxton.com. Open: June and July; Dates vary each season; 10am to 6pm daily see our webpage for up to date information. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: Adjoining the A38 between Taunton and Bridgwater. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Strawberries Several varieties to range throughout the season. Mid June-Mid July
  Gooseberries Large fruit and easy to freeze. Mid June-Mid July
  Raspberries Different varieties giving a spread of season and flavour. July-early August
  Loganberries Excellent for freezing or jam making. Mid July-Mid August
  Redcurrants Superb and easy to pick. Mid June - End July
  Blackcurrants Ideal for that winter pie. Mid July -end July
  Rhubarb Available all season. Mid june -end July
  Broad Beans Available daily throughout the season. June-July
  Potatoes Ready dug for your selection. Throughout the season
  All dates are subject to the variability of the English seasons, so contact us a short while before you wish to pick, to confirm availability! (UPDATED: June 19, 2018, JBS) (ADDED: June 14, 2012)

Wiltshire

• Ansty PYO & Farm Shop - strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, tayberries, loganberries, blackcurrants, red currants, blackberries, Autumn raspberries, pumpkins, Christmas trees
  Ansty, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK SP3 5PX. Phone/Fax 01747 829072. Email: anstypyo@hotmail.com. Open: We have a booking system and seasonal opening times, so before you head out, please phone to check when we are open! Click here for updated times. Directions: Find us on the A30, 6 miles East of Shaftesbury, Dorset, or 10 miles West of Wilton, Wiltshire. Click here for the map for Ansty PYO and Farm Shop. January - Mid April 9.30am - 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday;
  Mid April - May 9.30am - 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am - 4.00pm Sunday;
  June to Beginning of August 9.30am - 6.00pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am - 6.00pm Monday and Sunday;
  Mid August to Mid September 9.30am - 6.00pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am - 6.00pm Sunday;
  Mid September - December 9.30am - 5.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am - 4.00pm Sunday.
  We now grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for Pick Your Own or selecting freshly picked in the farm shop. But over the years we have expanded and now have a busy Farm Shop, stocked full of home grown and locally produced goods. We also have a Tea Room where you can relax over a cup of Tea and Homemade Cake whilst taking in the beauty of the Countryside around you! If that's not enough we also make a Maize Maze for the Summer Holidays and a hilarious Pumpkin Event for the Half Term Period in October. Freshly cut locally grown Christmas Trees, home made Christmas Wreaths, Holly and Mistletoe. The Christmas session is another hectic time at Ansty PYO and Farm Shop! The outside of the shop suddenly turns into a big Christmas Tree forest, with freshly cut locally grown Christmas trees. Why not avoid disappointment and pre-order the size you would like so we can guarantee your tree will be fresh when you would like it. We also make Christmas wreaths and have fresh local holly and mistletoe and Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies. Make Christmas easy and do most of your shopping under one roof!! (UPDATED: May 14, 2019, JBS)
• Lotmead Pick Your Own - Gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, broad beans, potatoes, runner beans, sweetcorn, spinach, beetroot
  Lotmead Farm, Wanborough, Swindon. Phone: 01793 790137. Email: info@lotmead.co.uk. Directions: M4/J15. Dir Swindon. Travel on dual-carriageway to White Hart roundabout - turn by Toys R Us. Just outside Swindon on Covingham/Wanborough rd (only 1 mile from A420 ( Oxford Rd roundabout). Ices and cream for sale at kiosk. The farm shop has soft fruits and vegetables, cream, dairy produce, fresh eggs, honey, frozen fruits. Facilities: Ample parking, picnic area, play area, refreshments, toilets, easy access for disabled. Frozen fruit mixes also available from Farm Shop. Organic Dairy farm with PYO, developing 'set aside' into Wetland Bird Reserve. Farm Shop open seasonally May-Oct.  As well as strawberries, we also grow delicious raspberries, gooseberries and sweet blackcurrants. Come late August and you can also help yourself to blackberries from our hedgerows - free of charge! Seasonal vegetables: We have a great variety of pick your own seasonal spring, summer and autumn vegetables. These include potatoes, courgettes, runner beans, dwarf French beans, green beans, sweetcorn, spinach and beetroot. Asparagus (until late June) and rhubarb are supplied ready picked and you will find them at the Farm Store. (UPDATED: 24 July 2020 JBS)
• Whitehall Garden Centre - asparagus, beans, blackberries, blueberries, broad beans, corn (sweet), currants (red and black), flowers, gooseberries, loganberries, other berries, peaches, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tayberries, Other fruit or veg
  Nursery farm, Woodborough, Near Pewsey, Wiltshire, SN9 5PF. Phone: 01672 851249. Fax: 01672 851465. Email: enquiries@whitehallgardencentre.co.uk. Open: March through October, Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm Sundays 11am to 5pm See our PYO calendar on our website. Directions: From the Junction 15 on the M4 follow the road to Marlborough then take the A345 to Pewsey. Pass through the village of Oare and about 1/2 mile on you turn right following the brown tourist signs for Woodborough Garden Centre. Follow the brown signs for 3 miles . PYO Daffodils from March through April in In 2019, the daffoldils are available from Saturday 16th February until Sunday 31st March; available daily at £4.99 per bag (2019 price) Maximum of approximately 50 stems. We are a traditional nursery and garden centre with a wide range of plants and trees. We have a lovely coffee shop where all the food is home made. Visit Woodborough - You're sure of a big surprise! Please contact us before coming to pick fruit or daffodils to avoid disappointment. (UPDATED: 04 October 2019, JBS)

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Strawberries typically begin from mid- May in the south and central England, and a couple of weeks later in the north and Scotland. They typically continue through June and into July. Beyond that, some farms plant later bearing varieties, day neutral varieties and "everbearers, so they may have strawberries to pick until frost. But to be sure of a good harvest, go early in the season, from mid May through June.

Of course, it highly depends upon microclimates (earlier in warmer western coastal areas) and the varieties planted by each farm. The timing, quality and quantity of the strawberry crop varies considerably, so always check with the farm's website or Facebook page - or even call them before you go to the farm. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
    
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for strawberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   
   
   If you use your own containers, remember that heaping strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries

1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.

3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
   
2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
   
3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
   
4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
   
5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright colour and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.
   
6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice - strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

• Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake. To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals in the UK!
• Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
  1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
  1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions.
  1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
• How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups (828 g) hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (60 g to 120 g))(it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
• One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
• U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought. Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
• U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs (450 g) of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart/liter.
• It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
• The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
• Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to grow your own strawberries? Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
• See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
• Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups) of fresh whole strawberries

• = about 8 oz (1/2 lb, 225 g) of strawberries
• = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
• = 1 cup pureed strawberries
• = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz / 280gpackage of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

Strawberries - Average 2024 (most recent ) retail price per pound and per cup equivalent,
Form	Average retail price		Preparation yield factor	Size of a cup equivalent	Unit	Average price per cup equivalent
Fresh *1		per kilogram	0.94	0.320	Kg
Frozen *2		per kilogram	1	0.331	Kg
1 - Includes regular strawberries. Excludes jumbo and long-stemmed varieties. The Standard Reference (SR) reports that inedible caps and stems account for 6 percent of the retail weight, implying a preparation yield of 94 percent, when strawberries are eaten raw.
2 - Excludes strawberries with added sugar or other sweeteners. Includes unsweetened strawberries. Consumers are assumed to eat the berries in frozen form without further preparation.
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations from 2020 Circana (formerly Information Resources, Inc. [IRI]) OmniMarket Core Outlets (formerly InfoScan) data; the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR), Legacy Release; and the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED) 2017�18 as well as the FPED's accompanying Methodology and User Guide.

References:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension