It is the season to pick your own strawberries – and they’re said to be sweeter and juicier than ever! This is because the cooler spring weather has led to them to ripen more slowly.
And there’s a farm in Tamworth where you can turn PYO into an afternoon out. Manor Farm Fruits is celebrating its 50th anniversary. with a summer of fun. As well as picking strawberries and gooseberries – then later raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants – kids can also enjoy a newly extended play area, go on a nature trail, jump on a bouncy castle and have fun in the play area.
There’s an onsite tearoom called The Strawberry Cabin plus a Snack Shack and Refreshment Trailer where you can sit alfresco and take in views of the Staffordshire countryside. Meanwhile children can enjoy the ‘Bounce & Climb’ outdoor play, which includes straw pyramids, a sand pit, balance beam and new Discovery climbing frame. There are even bouncy castles (weather permitting).
The farm shop is packed full of local goodies to try, including ice cream, jam, honey and cakes. And a Maize Maze is currently being grown with a view to it being open at the end of July, ready for the summer holidays.
Read more: Where to Pick Your Own fruit around Birmingham and the West Midlands
The theme of the nature trail is based around helping farm scarecrows Strawbs and Pippin find the important message Farmer Simon has left for them. But all the letters have been snatched and hidden by the cheeky crows! Families are asked to help find the letters and put the message back together.
Each child receives a Nature Trail Activity Sheet to solve the puzzle which, once completed, can be taken to the trail shed or farm shop in exchange for something to plant in your garden. The nature trail gives families the chance to meet some farm friends and enjoy the stunning views whilst solving the mystery together.
Getting out in nature is really good for your mental health. Listen to Suzanne Alderson, founder of Parenting Mental Health, on the Brummie Mummies Podcast for lots of advice on how to boost your family’s health and wellbeing:
The nature trail is open daily throughout the summer, only closed on days when the PYO is not open. Manor Farm suggests you leave around an hour to an hour and a half to complete the trail but there’s no time limit so you can take as long as you like. The trail is around 400 metres from the farm shop and car park.
A spokesman said: “Our PYO fields are now open for the 2023 season. This is our 50th Year of PYO, so it’s going to be a summer of celebration and we just love seeing all our regular customers returning to the farm. Our team has worked incredibly hard to enable us to open so early given the weather recently after the cold, dull Spring so far.
“Due to the unpredictable weather, we are going to open our online bookings for just a few days at a time, allowing us to check how the crop is ripening and to ensure that we always have enough delicious strawberries available for everyone to pick.
“We’d love to display a montage of photos in our shop entitled ‘Memories at Manor Farm Fruits’. So, if you have a favourite photo taken here at the farm, please let us see them. They’ll be free vouchers for all our favourites!”
PYO strawberries cost £7.50 per kilo and you can ‘weigh and pay’ for what you pick and take your own container if you prefer. Admission to the PYO fields is £2 per adult and £3.50 per child, which includes unlimited time in the play area. You can also hold children’s birthday parties here.
How to get to Manor Farm Fruits from Birmingham
You can find Manor Farm Fruits on Watling Street, Hints, Tamworth, B78 3DF. It’s around 15 miles from Birmingham city centre and takes around 35 minutes to reach, traffic permitting, via the A5127 Birmingham Road. The drive can be a bit quicker if you take the M6 toll.
Tickets for the nature trail cost £3 for adults and £5.50 for children. Under ones are free. There is also a booking fee of £1.50 per order. As part of the 50th year celebrations, Manor Farm Fruits is offering a £1 discount on each nature trail ticket when booked online at the same time as PYO tickets.
Pre-booking is recommended to avoid disappointment. Walk in admission prices cost more and may not be available. The PYO fields are open daily throughout the summer from 10am to 5pm, with the last admission at 4pm. Later openings are being planned to enable children to come after school. Find out more and book via the Manor Farm Fruits website.
Dogs on leads are allowed in the car park and outdoor seating area but not in the PYO fields.
Beaches, splashparks and swimming pools
The PYO fruit season
Rhubarb Late May
Strawberries Early June
Raspberries Late June
Gooseberries Late June
Blueberries Late July
Blackcurrants Early July
Plums August
Damsons August/September
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