Families flock to pick strawberries at popular Cheshire farm

Families are flocking to Kenyon Hall Farm for the start of strawberry season, with the popular Warrington farm drawing visitors from far and wide for its fruit and veg picking sessions.

The first crop of the season, strawberries, are now ripe for the picking. Tickets for strawberry picking are already in high demand, priced from £4.95 per person, which includes a punnet of strawberries to take home. Entry is free for babies and tots under 18 months.

To secure a slot, booking online is necessary as tickets sell out quickly. They go on sale one to two days in advance on the website here, where regular updates are posted.

The farm's gooseberry fields are also now open, with no booking required. Entry costs between £2 and £4, depending on what's available, and each ticket includes a punnet to fill with fruit and veg.

Any additional produce is paid for by weight, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Later this summer, other fruits and vegetables such as redcurrants, blackcurrants, berries, broad beans, onions and sweetcorn will be ready for picking.

Located in Croft, Warrington, the family-friendly farm features grass and gravel tracks in the fields, making it accessible for sturdy prams and wheelchairs in dry conditions.

All strawberries at the farm are now cultivated on 'table tops' - rows of plants elevated to an adult's waist height. Some are housed within polytunnels, while others grow outdoors.

According to the farm management, this method results in strawberries of 'much better quality, cleaner and easier to pick without the need for bending over'. However, toddlers may require help to reach some of the strawberries.

All other fruits and vegetables are grown traditionally - on outdoor plants rooted in the soil.

Visitors can select their preferred entry time when booking (every 10 minutes from 9.30am to 3.55pm) but are welcome to stay as long as they wish. The average visitor spends about 30-60 minutes picking fruit, followed by another hour exploring the farm shop, plant centre, café or play area, which boasts climbing frames, swings, slides and play houses.

Each summer, the farm hosts a popular Maize Maze, with this year's theme yet to be announced. For more information, or to make a booking, visit the website here.

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