Since the farm shop was built, a function suite has been added to host events and to accommodate for more covers in the restaurant. Strawberry Fields has become well known for seasonal events including Pick Your Own Tulips and The Baby Lamb Experience. (You can find details of their events here.)

Despite expansion, the family have ensured they remain true to their original farming activities and core values with traditional family recipes and niche homemade products being key to the restaurant and farm shop. When looking at where to expand, Laura says “It’s looking at what works but it’s also been very customer led as well…we listen to our customers a lot.” The events that have been introduced then have a knock-on effect on the restaurant, but Laura says, “it’s also about being quite niche, especially with our products in the shop. For example, you can’t purchase our saffron bun from anywhere else. Keeping things interesting for both customers and staff is really important.”

A production area has recently been added to the back of the bakery, providing more space and improving efficiency. “With wages and electricity only going one way we knew we needed better facilities to make our products more efficiently to ultimately save money” explains Laura.

In addition to the farm shop, the family bought nearby Wooladon Estate in 2017 which they let out as holiday cottages before becoming a wedding venue.

500-kilowatt solar panels were installed to power the ovens and farm shop but not stopping there, a 500-kilowatt wind turbine was added in 2014. However, as the shop became busier, the need for electric increased and another 150 kilowatts was added to the solar panels. Strawberry Fields have now returned to being 100% self-sufficient.

“Although it was a huge investment in 2014, if we had to pay the market price for electric at the moment, we’d be struggling” comments Laura.

Aside from providing energy for the farm shop and restaurant, the wind turbine and solar panels also provide electricity for the farm shop’s four electric car chargers.

The supply chain at Strawberry Fields is short with produce grown on the farm being sold in the farm shop and used in the restaurant. “We are the producers and sellers. There’s no middleman with the things that we do. We have our own Ruby Red cattle, so all that beef goes through the butchery and then into pasties, pies and cottage pies, any ready meals, and in the restaurant as well” explains Laura.

Fresh breads and bakes are made daily and in addition to strawberries, a range of vegetables are grown including leeks, cabbages, cauliflowers, carrots beetroot and broad beans. “They get harvested seven days a week and then come into the shop and restaurant every day. What’s left over from the day before also goes into the restaurant to be used, so the whole model works quite well” explains Laura.