Hampshire farm shop says it harvested more strawberries and raspberries this year than ever

Westlands Farm Shop, which is near Wickham in the Meon Valley, harvested over 200 tonnes of strawberries and raspberries this year - a 250 per cent increase since 2021.

The family-run farm was able to supply its customers with even more locally grown produce while encouraging the reduction of food miles within the local community.

Despite it being an extremely hot and dry summer, Westlands Farm combated the challenging environment because of its water reservoir which was installed during 2021, holding the same amount of water as an Olympic sized swimming pool.

This meant the farm shop was able to supply homegrown strawberries to its local customers until mid-november.

The reservoir collects winter rainwater from the cattle shed roofs and polytunnels on the farm to water its crops. It also helps to reduce the pressure on local water supplies which was very important throughout the drought.

The installation of the reservoir meant Westlands Farm was able to extend its polytunnels by an additional 15,000 square metres.

Graham Collett, farm shop owner, said: ‘It was certainly a challenging season this year with temperatures reaching highs, as well as experiencing a drought.

‘But with the reservoir we were able to harvest a huge amount of soft fruit this year, much more than we were anticipating. We absolutely loved seeing our customers enjoying our strawberries and raspberries. Being able to supply more of it than previous years was brilliant.

‘We were also very fortunate that our crops didn’t suffer from the drought. Because of the reservoir we were able to protect local water supplies while still feeding all of our soft fruit.’

Producing homegrown food means Westlands is displacing food imported from abroad to reduce food miles, which is a very important part of its sustainable ethos.

This year Westlands launched its first pumpkin festival with nearby fields turned into a sea of orange gourds.

For more information about Westlands Farm Shop visit westlandsfarmshop.co.uk or visit its social media pages @WestlandsFarmShop