Strawberry Fields

Pick your own fields leave me reminiscent of childhood days spent getting appropriately mucky whilst picking a glut of fresh fruit. The juicy British berries, available for only the shortest amount of time, are all undeniably better tasting when sun-warmed, and picked at the very peak of their ripeness. Classic strawberries, raspberries and red currents can now be enjoyed alongside American blueberries and unusual white pine berries, amongst other delights. It has been a long time since I visited a PYO farm, with home-grown berries only occasionally supplementing the market- and shop-bought fruits.

Stuart and I decided to relive this nostalgic practice, and hopped on our bikes for a twenty mile-round trip in search of strawberries. It was almost the perfect day for cycling; just a little blustery, and we arrived hungry. The remote farm in the Yorkshire Moors was surprisingly busy, with ladies taking a break at the tea rooms, and young families carrying buckets filled with fruit. Stuart and I opted for a modest punnet, and spent a few lazy minutes picking out the ripest of strawberries to buy, before making a lunch out of them with wrap breads and almonds and gooey dates.

The remainder were securely packed into my wicker bike basket and eventually found their way into a big jug of Pimms for the family that evening!

It feels like a practice from a bygone time now, but if you have the time, why not spend a half hour or more stocking up on fresh British berries to enjoy? If you can't eat your berries straight off the bush, PYO farmer John Sinclair recommends taking "berries out of the fridge well before you eat them. Like a good red wine, their flavour and aroma are best appreciated at room temperature".

With a recommendation like that, I am sure it won't be long before I am foraging for local fruits again.