Stanhill Farm News!

We have had lots of enquiries regarding when our Pick Your Own will be opening. The season usually starts for strawberries at the beginning of June, however, it may be slightly later this year due to the cold weather we have had. Berries and Beans Café will be opening around the same time as the Pick Your Own. Please keep an eye on the PYO page of our website and our social media pages for further details. 

We are excited to introduce a delicious new addition to our deli products! We are now stocking traditional Indian samosas. They come frozen and in a choice of lamb, chicken, or vegetarian. Priced at £1.75 each or three for £4.50. The Stanhill team can’t get enough of these tasty samosas, so grab them while you can! 

We are pleased to announce that our 2022 Maize Maze will be opening in July, and this year's theme will be the Queen's 'Jubeelee'! Buzz on over to Stanhill Farm this summer and help Queen Bee retrieve the missing jewels from her crown! Search the maze to retrieve all the jewels and discover what is Queen Bee's favourite summer treat! Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages for further details regarding our chosen maze design, opening date and prices.

Jersey Royals and Cornish potatoes are now available, however, as it is still very early in the season the price is currently high at £8.00 per kilo for the Jersey Royals. This price will come down as the season goes on and more become available. The price of Cornish potatoes has already come down to £7.00 per kilo. 

Isle of Wight red and golden Mini Plum tomatoes are now available from both our Farm Shop and Click & Collect Service. 

We are currently in what is called 'The Hungry Gap' in farming. This is the hardest time of year for UK farmers and occurs for a few weeks, usually in April, May, and early June, after the winter crops have ended but before the new season’s crops are ready to harvest. As a result, we are only harvesting rhubarb at the moment.

Everyone is seeing price increases across the board and the food industry is no different. The bad weather in Spain has also affected the quality and availability of produce – you may have noticed a lack of Iceberg lettuces in the Farm Shop recently! This has been due to the extortionate prices and bad quality. The fuel prices have stopped lots of the Dutch growers from heating their greenhouses, and the complications at the ferry ports also caused problems. A combination of the above created the perfect storm for the build up to the Easter weekend, making it a real struggle to get lots of different produce. 

May is National Asparagus Month - the perfect time to try out this delicious vegetable! The British asparagus season runs from May to June and is considered to be the best in the world. When buying asparagus choose firm but tender stalks with a good colour and closed tips. Before cooking, wash in cold water and remove the ends of the stalks. Boil or steam until just tender (4-7 minutes depending on thickness). Alternatively, try it in a stir-fry, blend into soup or simply boil on its own and season with a little salt and pepper! We now have English asparagus available, priced at £5.00 per bunch.