Fruit picking is a fun and exciting activity
Young boy picking a strawberry, viewed from above.
Fruit picking is a great way to entice children who are fussy eaters to get some of their five a day.
Farms offer the ability for families to get together and (hopefully) have a fun day out in the sun. It not only allows the household to eat healthy but also helps everyone get some exercise in an entertaining way.
Spring is here, which means that filling punnets full of delicious strawberries and the like is just the activity to get you through the warm weather.
Are you more of an ‘eat-as-you-go’ kind of picker, or a more sensible fill your punnet and show off your prized pickings to the rest of your family?
The good news for us here in Bristol is that there are a few places in and around the city where you can just turn up with the kids, gather up what you want and then pay for your pickings before you leave.
But it is important that the family is adequately prepared and kitted out for the conditions. Farmers recommend wearing sturdy shoes while fruit picking including wellies if it is raining.
Everyone should be wearing long sleeves and trousers to protect their skin from thistles and nettles which are dotted around the fields. Here’s our rundown of fruit farms around Bristol…
Primrose Vale Farm Shop
Where: Shurdington Road, Gloucester
About a 40-minute drive from Bristol, Primrose Vale offers some fifteen different crops for picking — with the most popular being table top strawberries — which are available to pick now.
Gooseberries and raspberries will be available shortly, with blackberries, tayberries, black currents and Logan Berries due to be ready in the next few weeks. Sweet Corn will be on the picking menu from around the middle of August.
Dogs are not allowed in the picking fields or children’s play area. Well behaved dogs on a lead are permitted to the front of the farm shop, and around the seating area at the management’s discretion.
Pick-your-own hours for this season at the farm will be:
Mon – Sat 9am – 5.30pm
Sun & Bank Holidays 9.30am – 5pm
Over Farm
Where: Gloucester
Also about a 45-minute drive from Bristol, this is another farm that is a bit of a trek but still a good option. It features a fabulous 18th century barn and a variety of different yummy but healthy treats on offer.
Several varieties of strawberries are on offer from early June all the way through until the end of August. Other goodies are on offer as well, check their site for more information.
Opening times are:
Mondays: 1pm – 4:30pm
Tuesdays: Closed for fruit maintenance
Wednesdays – Fridays: 1pm – 4:30pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 10am – 5pm
You can bring a picnic but the farm also offers barista-made hot drinks, hearty meals or delicious home baked treats. From August sunflowers are also available on the picking menu and pumpkins will also be on offer later in the year.
The farm has a lot to offer the whole family including plenty of fun activities for people of all ages.
Lotmead Farm Park
Where: Near Swindon
Lotmead is on Wanborough Road just outside Swindon, about a 45-minute drive from Bristol.
Open from May until Christmas, the farm has different crops available for picking and some animals — but these cannot be fed by the public.
They also have a cafe and shop which are open daily.
They have a play area for the children and dogs are allowed if well behaved. They must also be kept on a lead at all times and owners must pick up after their pets.
Pick-your-own opening times are Mon – Sun 9.30am – 5pm (subject to fruit availability).
The farm’s website has the following information: “We offer some eight different crops for picking, our most popular being table-top strawberries, which are grown on raised platforms so that the strawberries are easy to pick. The first strawberry crop of the season is grown at knee height which makes picking for little ones easy and fun.
“But do not miss these other amazing fruits – raspberries gooseberries, blackberries, blackcurrants & redcurrants We have vegetables too, depending on the year… Currently Broad Beans Sweetcorn & Potatoes, plus of course loads of Pumpkins for Halloween.”
Thurloxton Fruit Growers
Where: Taunton
This farm is a little further afield – just under an hour’s drive away – but is definitely highly rated and many believe to be worth the trip.
Thurloxton Fruit Growers is home to a range of berries and vegetables — plus a flock of sheep.
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The farm opens for a variety of pick-your-own fruits in June including strawberries, gooseberries, red currants and rhubarb — check the site for exact dates.
In July there will be be other options on the menu such as blackcurrants and raspberries. Pumpkin picking will be available later in the year.
Families can have picnics at the farm but these must be conducted in the designated picnic area. You can bring your own containers or the farm also have some you can use. Ice cream and a variety of drinks are available from the farm’s hut and their website has a comprehensive list of FAQs available.