Fruit picking at Wiveton

The first day of the holiday began with the most perfect Norfolk sky; cloudy inland but vast, clear and cerulean blue by the coast. Bundling the children (child labour) into the car with assorted containers, I headed for the fruit farm with jam on my mind.

Wiveton Hall fruit farm and cafe is one of those idyllic places that makes you just wish you had thought up the idea or even had the means to create it. At the side of the road between Blakeney and Cley is a small sign and shed selling fresh strawberries, broad beans and agapanthus plants. This is just a teaser for what you will find when you drive down the track. The regulation PYO set-up is in place but within the setting of the grounds of a Jacobean Hall and kitchen garden. It is a family run business with local people employed to assist with the shop and the cafe. I say cafe, but it is an utterly gorgeous venue situated within the strawberry fields and gooseberry bushes selling tapas, homemade scones and salads created with produce from their own kitchen garden.

Wiveton Hall Cafe with its mismatched painted chairs and tables





DB loves fruit picking





A fruit farm situated at the brink of the Norfolk coast, where the marshes end and the sky begins.

As you may have guessed, I was completely distracted by the gorgeousness of the location.

So, back to business; strawberries. After giving each of my three children a container and tutoring them in efficient strawberry picking, we methodically set about the task. However, my eldest daughter was more interested in getting a sun tan, my son was busy eating his own body weight in fruit and my little DB declared "I lost my basket, mummy, so I will put them in my mouth instead." Needless to say, it took some time to get enough for jam and wine but crouching within the rows of straw and heavily laden strawberry plants was delightful. The warm, jammy smell of the juicy fruits teamed with the sound of wood pigeons and skylarks was heavenly.

Once we had enough strawberries, we turned out attention to raspberries. Raspberries are twice as expensive as strawberries, even if you pick your own, but we still needed the same amount as the strawberries; for jam and for wine.

Behind a large poly tunnel we found rows and rows of raspberry canes laden with the dark crimson fruits. Once again, it was a challenge not to simply gorge ourselves on them.

Three baskets later, the children were complaining of hunger and thirst so we headed to the cafe for lunch, apple juice and homemade ice creams.

This menu inspired me to go home and recreate dishes in my own kitchen, but at the time I opted for a Wiveton Salad. The glorious mix of colours, flavours and textures epitomised summer on a plate.

The Wiveton Salad

Today was a summer holiday snapshot at its finest. I will attempt to create another post on the transforming of today's fruit into edible, drinkable produce.