Here’s where to pick your own strawberries in Oxfordshire.
Strawberries are the quintessential British fruit, and whether you’re enjoying them in a smoothie, with whipped cream, or washed down with a glass of bubbly – they’re a firm favourite with the whole family. Indeed, British strawberries are widely regarded as some of the best in the world.
Strawberry picking season in Oxfordshire kicks off in early May and reaches its peak in June and July. And, as long as the weather holds, you can enjoy picking these delicious red berries well into August. Here are the strawberry pick-your-own farms in Oxfordshire.
Don’t forget that weather and visitor numbers affect availability at each farm, so if you’re planning to visit a pick-your-own strawberry farm, make sure you call or visit their website ahead to find what the conditions are beforehand.
After you’ve filled your punnets, don’t forget to check out these tempting desserts with strawberries.
Millets Farm Centre, Frilford
An admission ticket will be required to enter the fields, and pre-booking is advisable, as tickets will only be available at the door if they have spare capacity. Tickets are £1.50 per person.
Tickets are released online at regular intervals during the picking season to ensure enough fruit is available for everyone to enjoy. Fruit availability at the start of the season is very variable, so if you can’t see the date you want yet, please check back again.
A cardboard punnet (approx. 1.2kg) is £7, and a large round tub (approx. 2.2kg) is £12. You will be asked to purchase the fruit you want to pick on arrival at the entry kiosk before entering the field. You’ll need to pay using a contactless card as cash will not be accepted. All fruit is subject to availability on the day.
Q Gardens, Steventon, Abingdon
Q Gardens is open from 10.00am for strawberries on a ‘pick and go’ basis, and punnets cost £5.50 each. Currently picking strawberry variety Malling Centenary, Sonata, and Malwina. Strawberries are available in limited quantities because of rain damage and wet underfoot conditions.
Opening times are subject to change due to crop availability and weather conditions so, please, always check the PYO page at qgardensfarmshop.co.uk/pyo before visiting.
The nature of the site makes it difficult to enforce strict rules and regulations, so please do not bring big family groups with you. This is the year for just one or two of a household to attend to pick fruit, then take it home for everyone to enjoy.
Rectory Farm, Stanton St John, Oxford
The Strawberry polytunnels are now open for pick-your-own, and the season continues through to October. The on-the-ground strawberries are also ready to pick from mid-June.
If you take your own plastic containers (to reduce plastic use), they offer a discount of 10p per kg. Do bear in mind that several small containers are better than one large one, as soft fruit will easily bruise and squash at the bottom of a deep container.
And if picking is not your thing, then they have a team in the fields who pick the best every single day, and you’ll find the ready-picked fruit in the Farm Shop fridges.
Medley Manor Farm, Binsey, Oxford
Available from early to late June, depending upon the season – They grow 10 different varieties to extend the growing season, which lasts roughly 6 to 8 weeks – all the way through to the end of July. All are available for pick-your-own and ready-picked strawberries.
Medley Manor Farm is open for the 2021 strawberry (and gooseberries) picking season from June. They are shut from Sunday 27 June to Wednesday 30 June to let the fruit ripen, then they will reopen every day for strawberry picking from 9.30am to 7.00pm.
