Around Town

Bean there, picked that

Garsons grows a number of different types of the popular soft fruits to get around the problem of short seasons – if you’ve got specific preferences, Thompson recommends keeping an eye on the website to see which fields are due to be opened next, and you can also sign up for a email newsletter which will keep you informed.

Any more insider tips? ‘Well, Sunday is the busiest day so you’ll find there’s much more available on the Saturday,’ he says. ‘Monday can be a bit disappointing if we’ve been busy at the weekend. But my best piece of advice is to look for fruit in the rows that are furthest away from the car park – that’s where you’ll find the patches that haven’t been touched yet.’ Feature continues

Arriving by car, I was able to drive straight into the picking area (most visitors use their car to move from one field to another). The track runs in a circuit past every crop, ensuring you don’t miss out the less glamourous vegetables like cabbages and broad beans – and you might be tempted by flowers such as sunflowers and sweet peas along the way too. At each field there is a hut where you are issued with suitable containers for the produce, and where you return for weighing and paying. After that you are left to wander along the neat rows, seeking out your perfect strawberry, raspberry, or indeed marrow. A number of signs provide gentle reminders not to start eating until money has changed hands, though Thompson admits that the farm assumes a certain amount of illicit tasting will take place.

Like most people at this time of year, I headed straight for the strawberries, though soon discovered that these sweet little fruits are the most backbreaking to pick as they grow very close to the ground. This is where canny PYO-ers deploy their small children – or anybody else’s for that matter – counting on youthful enthusiasm to make up for any lack of experience and finesse. Broad beans proved a more comfortable height, but were tougher on the hands.

As well as the hunter-gatherer pride of harvesting your own supper, there are economic benefits to PYO. ‘We don’t have to pay anyone to pick,’ says Thompson, ‘so we’re able to pass on that saving to our customers. And, of course, there’s no wastage. You’re not going to get home and find you have to throw half of it away because it’s gone bad. If you do find a bad strawberry in your box, it’s your own fault, isn’t it? You’re the one who’s picked it.’

If you positively can’t wait until you get home, you can stop at the picnic area on the riverbank, which has tables and a play tractor to cheer up any fruit-fatigued kids. If you’ve remembered to call at the farm shop first for drinks, bread, cheese and other essentials, you should be able to create a complete summer feast. At weekends, Garsons also runs a series of events to help families make a day of it: this weekend, there will be show featuring birds of prey (flying displays at 11.30am and 2.30pm), and at other times you might find a food fair or a display of traditional ploughing using heavy horses.

My rural experience complete, I headed home well stocked with fresh air and vitamin C. Even sitting for hours in traffic in the southern suburbs could not completely dent my spirits; instead I was kept going by the promise of a supper of life-enhancing broad bean soup and some perfectly fresh strawberries and cream.

Garsons Farm, Winterdown Rd, Esher, Surrey KT10 8LS (01372 464 389/ www.garsons.co.uk) Esher or Hersham rail stations are both under two miles away, then cycle or take a taxi. Open all year Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm. PYO runs May-Oct.