Strawberry pickers told not to try before they buy

Steve Kember from Lower Ladysden Farm in Goudhurst says thousands of pounds is lost if customers eat fruit whilst picking

A Kent strawberry farm is reminding its pick-your-own customers to not eat the fruit before paying for it.

Steve Kember, the co-owner of Lower Ladysden Farm near Goudhurst, estimates that if each customer ate "four or five strawberries" whilst picking, it would amount to nearly £50,000 lost income over the course of the season.

This comes despite British strawberry growers reporting a bumper harvest due to ideal growing conditions.

"Last month we had plenty of sunshine, daytime temperatures over 20C and mild nights which are key to this early season crop - it's producing the large, sweet berries we are harvesting now," said Mr Kember.

There's a bumper harvest of strawberries in 2025 due to ideal growing conditions

Last year the UK had a colder and wetter start to the fruit growing season with crop yields suffering as a result.

However, the recent good growing conditions are a boost to the industry with one supermarket purchasing extra strawberry stock this year as a result.

Tesco expects to sell a quarter more strawberries in 2025 and has cut the price shoppers pay for 400g punnets from £2.50 to £1.50.

Rosie Stockbridge from Lower Ladysden Farm is concerned that customers not paying for strawberries could see the end of pick-your-own

Yet smaller growers like Ladysden Farm, who only sell pick-your-own fruit, have issued a stark warning to those who do not pay for what they pick.

"The amount of money we lose each season for fruit that isn't paid for is huge," said Rosie Stockbridge, who works in the cafe and farm shop.

"If people feel they can eat nearly a punnet whilst going around it could mean the end of pick-your-own."