GOOD FOOD GUY
ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOUR
Taken from this month’s Cotswold Life magazine
Hayles Fruit farm is definitely a place to be this summer – and here’s why…
Summer in the Cotswolds is always glorious. Honestly, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be (well, until it rains incessantly!). In fact, I’m so enamoured of an English summer in the Cotswolds that I actually took my family camping… to Winchcombe!
Yes, you read that correctly: we enjoyed a family holiday at a campsite just three miles away from our home! What insanity possessed me you may be wondering. Well, I have three words to say to you - Hayles Fruit Farm.
If you haven’t yet been to this idyllic spot on the outskirts of Winchcombe, then make it a summer destination this year. It’s got everything – Pick Your Own fruit, home-grown apple juice and cider, a sublime brunch menu, thriving farm shop selling local produce and a fantastic campsite with a beautiful lake and stunning views.
What I really love about Hayles, though, is how the farm has organically grown over the years. Back in 2005 when I opened our Warner’s store in Broadway, Hayles was one of the first local suppliers we worked with. Their home-grown strawberries became one of our most anticipated best sellers for the summer months, and this was quickly followed by their horde of apples in the autumn.
I’ve spent many an evening with owners, Martin and Sarah Jane Harrell, and now their son Joe as well. Having known the Harrells for almost 20 years, I consider them friends as well as local suppliers.
Putting in the groundwork
Hayles Fruit Farm offers something unique in that all their drinks are made using home-grown fruit. This means they can offer single variety apple juices to suit different taste palates. Rather annoyingly, the Badgers Bottom cider is just as thirst-quenching (not always a good thing for cider!). To add to the drinks menu, Joe has just launched a range of carbonated apple juice. This isn’t another sparkling water with apple juice drink – these smart slimline cans contain 100% pure carbonated apple juice. It’s a first for me and an exciting addition to the range. You can try Hayles Fruit Farm drinks at this year’s Big Feastival in August, another first for the Harrells, so do pop into their juice bar if you’re attending!
Enjoying the fruit of their labour
As I write, Hayles Fruit Farm have just been announced as a finalist in the Food and Drink Producer of the Year category at this year’s SO Glos awards. I really do hope their efforts pay off. I had the good fortune to be with the Harrells when they won Drinks Producer of the Year at the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards 2022. It was a fitting reward for a local company that has grown and innovated while staying firmly true to their roots. They really are the real deal.
Reasons to visit Hayles Fruit Farm this summer:
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For the best PYO strawberries in the area, period
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For the Hayles Big Breakfast brunch, ideal for the morning after…
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To taste tayberries for the first time, yes even at our age!
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For a camping experience that’s reassuringly close to home
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To drink award-winning cider surrounded by stunning views
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To stock up on local produce in the farm shop, including locally-reared meat at the new butcher’s counter
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To be one of the first to try 100% carbonated apple juice, no water added
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For the chance to try to catch your supper in the fishing lake (or visit the new fishmonger counter if nothing bites!)