Pick your own at Garsons of Esher and Secretts of Milford in Surrey

A delve into the archives of both Garsons of Esher and Secretts of Milford will uncover nostalgic images of horses ploughing fields and men in cloth caps and braces overseeing harvest time.

Garsons was started by George Thompson in 1871 and Secretts in 1908 by Fredrick Secrett.

Both farms ‘dug for victory’ during World War Two, and both were prompted by the rise of the supermarkets in the 1970s to open farm shops and start Pick Your Own businesses, selling their freshly-grown produce literally from the doorstep.

More recently, they have experienced very different challenges – the wettest February on record this year followed by the war on COVID-19.

While the impact of coronavirus continues to be felt by both businesses, social distancing and limited travel during the nation’s lockdown has seen new customers coming to their farm shops, as they choose to shop local, buy fruit and vegetables that have been freshly picked and, for an added bonus, not packaged in plastic.

Ripe for picking

And, although the unprecedented rain of February delayed planting, the glorious spring weather which followed has meant crops have caught up and are ripe for the picking.

At the time of going to press, the PYO fields are subject to social distancing restrictions, but the bounty grown by these two farms still finds its way into their farm shops.

Among the near 40 varieties of crops grown at Secretts, Tumbling Tom cherry tomatoes will make an appearance for the first time this month, alongside living pots of herbs and fresh bunches of lovage. And lettuce is expected to be the star of the show.

As well as its salad leaves, which have featured in London’s Michelin-starred restaurants for years, 10 varieties of whole lettuce will be on the shelves including a heritage variety called Celtuce – grown this year following a request from one of Gordon Ramsay’s head chefs.

“For years, people have bought bags of mixed salad leaves for convenience, and because they look pretty, but a salad needs a hearty lettuce as well to hold the dressing and add body,” says Greg Secrett, managing director and fourth generation member of the family.

“We’re hoping to encourage customers to pick up a whole lettuce alongside their bag of leaves and upgrade their salads this summer.”

To help, Secretts has recently produced a lettuce leaflet, packed with tips and recipe ideas.

A new cherry orchard

Over in Esher, the waiting game is finally over at Garsons, as its new cherry orchard – planted three years ago – bears fruit, and the farm is predicting a good crop.

There’s nothing to beat fresh-from-the field fruit and veg, and with around 30 varieties grown over 150 acres, there’s certainly plenty of choice, including the farm’s signature strawberries and sweetcorn, vibrant beets, thornless blackberries and even dig-yourown carrots.

Indeed, Garsons is the largest Pick Your Own Farm in the UK by acreage and has its own road system.

“Pick Your Own is a great way of educating children,” says Steve Gallimore, farm manager. “They can discover how things are grown, what different fruit and vegetables look like, and they get to pick a little bit of everything, from carrots and sweetcorn to beans and strawberries.”

And it’s not just edible produce. Garsons grows sunflowers, too.

While Pick Your Own brings instant gratification for pickers, both farms ensure produce harvested for their shops is on the shelves within 24 hours.

So, if you don’t have time to spend a leisurely afternoon in the PYO fields (or if the weather or social distancing has curtailed that pleasure), a visit to their farm shops is the next best thing. Check online for availability, any pre-booking arrangements and opening times.

• This article originally appeared in Local Food Britain's monthly Meet the Producer food and drink column in Surrey Life magazine. 

Photo: Dan Tilbury/Garsons of Esher