The best thing about summer for me is the warm weather and tasting locally grown British berries. If you are not lucky enough to grow them at home, heading to a local fruit farm is your best bet.
We decided to head to Bearstone Fruit Farm, a family run “Pick Your Own” strawberry, soft fruit and vegetable farm situated in beautiful countryside on the Shropshire/Staffordshire/Cheshire borders for a fun family day out.
The fruit farm was first started in 1971 by John Roberts alongside his father, Owen Roberts and remains a family run business producing seasonal “Open Field Grown” produce which can be hand-picked by customers.
Read on to find out what we did on our day out trip to Bearstone Fruit Farm and what the farm offers.
What did we think about the farm?
I find that my children tend to try new fruits and vegetables if they have picked it hence I have often brought them to local farms from a young age as it is a great way for them to understand how the fruit/veg is grown.
Both my children also enjoy eating frozen berries in winter with their oats porridge so I tend to batch freeze summer berries for the winter months. Frozen berries also work well as a substitute for fresh berries, if you, like myself, love baking muffins/cakes during the winter months.
Bearstone Fruit Farm was easy to get to and has ample of parking space. We headed to the main shop area and were offered to take as many small/large containers for the fruits which we pick.
We wanted to stock up on strawberries and raspberries so took 2 containers each. When we went the season for gooseberries, tayberries and blackberries had ended but there were other fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, raspberries, black/red berries, rhubarb, spring onions, new potatoes, peas, beetroot carrots, garlic and peas available to pick.
We were told which way to walk and there were lots of signs posted for us to identify the crops. Both my children were super excited about picking the fruits. I reminded them to pick the ripe fruits and to leave the unripe fruits for another time.
The ‘Glen Ample’ raspberries were easy to pick as the plants were tall and the ripe fruits could be easily spotted, while we had to crouch to look for the strawberries. At first, it seemed like there were no strawberries left to pick, but we kept walking and looking and soon found them plentiful.
How much does it cost to go to Bearstone Fruit Farm?
It is free entry into the farm and parking is free too. You just pay for the fruit/vegetables you pick. As a guide Strawberries are £2.73 per pound or £6 per kg and raspberries are £4.09 per pound or £9 per kg. There are other seasonal fruits and veg also available to pick such as black/red berries, rhubarb, potatoes, spring onions, carrots, peas etc. There are also ready picked produce available to buy, but these are slightly more expensive.
The fruit farm season runs from approximately early June to the beginning of August weather depending. Their strawberry season is almost coming to an end. Do check their Facebook page to find out which fruit/veg is in season. The farm will take a break and re-open in mid-august for sunflower picking and again in October for pumpkin/sweet corn picking.
Where is Bearstone Fruit Farm?
Just follow your satnav/google maps, parking is free here. There is a small cafe on site, I did see some visitors with little children picnicking at the carpark.
Bearstone Fruit Farm
Knighton nr Market Drayton
Market Drayton
TF9 4HJ
01630 672120
bearstonefruitfarm@gmail.com
What are their opening hours?
Monday to Saturday : 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 10am to 4pm
Fruit Field Etiquette
- Keep children under close supervision
- No running in the strawberries
- No smoking in the strawberries
- All fruit and veg must be paid before eating
- No dogs in the fruit and veg field
- Please take your own rubbish home
About Bearstone Fruit Farm
Bearstone Pick Your Own Fruit Farm was started by the Roberts family in 1971 by Owen Roberts and and his son John Roberts when he left school at the age of 16. To start with, they only grew a small field of strawberries for the Pick Your Own market and the fruit was sold from the back of the farm van! The fruit season was much shorter then. They have since branched out into growing raspberries and a large variety of different fruit and vegetables for customers to pick and the season has been extended to run from early June to early August.
You may also want to read this:
Family Day Out Review: Woore Fruit Farm to Pick Strawberries
Family Outing Review: Bidlea Dairy in Holmes Chapel
Review: Family Day Out at Trentham Monkey Forest
