KENYON Hall Farm is known for its beautiful strawberries, so much so that it featured on live television.
The farm, which is in Croft, was visited by BBC Breakfast this morning, Monday, in a segment focused on Britain's strawberry season.
Kenyon Hall's strawberry experts - Tod, Simon and Linda - all explained the importance of strawberry season for the farm.
Tod said: "It's important to us because we're an arable farm with diversified fruit picking.
"Strawberries are the most important part of our diversification; they're vitally important, and they're the most popular fruit for us."
Kenyon Hall Farm has grown strawberries since 1978, with Tod explaining why the farm uses the plastic tunnels that will be familiar to many who have visited the farm.
Tod said: "Strawberry season used to last three to four or five weeks.
"Our tunnels mean the season can last from May to September, and into October - but we need the tunnels to achieve that."
The tunnels allow for a more controlled environment in which Kenyon Hall Farm's strawberries can grow.
As explained in the BBC Breakfast segment, the rapid rise in temperature we have had recently means more energy is going into the fruit, which can result in sweeter strawberries.
They are some of the most popular fruits on sale in the country, with £778million spent on them in the last 12 months alone.
All in all, the berry industry is worth £1.7billion to the country's economy.
Kenyon Hall Farm offers a 'pick your own' experience, which allows guests to pick fruit directly from the stalks that they're grown on locally in Croft.
One of the strawberry experts at the farm, Simon, said: "Picking your own is just as popular as it has ever been.
"And the small percentage of strawberries that we don't sell get turned into jam in the farm shop cafe."
Simon added that a big draw for people to come for the 'pick your own' sessions is that they want to reduce 'food miles' - in other words, the distance from the food source to your plate.
Farmer Tod concluded: "There's nothing that can touch a strawberry you've picked yourself and eaten on the same day."
Early morning strawberry picking on #BBCBreakfast.
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 5, 2023
Ben Boulos is at a farm in Cheshire explaining why this summer's crop is so good pic.twitter.com/2bImp1mqh1
Another farm expert, Linda, was on-hand - decked out in a marvellous strawberry hat - to explain why strawberry picking remains popular.
"It's a great experience at the farm," she said.
Linda added: "It's one of our busiest seasons - but we love pumpkin season on the farm, too."
One of the tips discussed was that when picking fruit you should leave part of the stalk on the fruit when you select it, as this will allow it to last longer, and it will not over-ripen.
For more information about strawberry picking at Kenyon Hall Farm, visit the farm's website or social media pages.
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