| Our Farm
Boddington's was established in the 1940s, and is now run by the third generation of the family. Situated on the outskirts of the picturesque, working fishing village of Mevagissey, our farm benefits from a mild climate and fertile soil.
The farm has at times extended to 20 acres and was devoted to strawberries, apart from ½ acre, which is given over to raspberries
Our season began with glasshouse production in mid-April and extended through until November. We established a continual harvest throughout those months through the use of different varieties and growing systems, including white and black plastic, straw, fleece, low tunnels, Spanish tunnels and glass. By planting into grow bags on table tops in all our indoor areas, we were able to give the plants precisely what they need, in terms of feed and water.
Cornwall has the perfect climate to grow the best strawberries in the world. Fruit ripens gradually, increasing the sugar content so we can be sure of maximum flavour and sweetness.
From small beginnings, we went on to harvest over 200 tonnes of fruit each year, and employed over 50 harvest workers through the season.
We were proud to be part of a huge and growing industry. Sadly we are no longer able to compete with price in the market for fresh fruit, and have had to reduce our acreage. We will be growing strawberries for the purveyors of local produce, who appreciate the freshness and quality, and are not price driven. We will also be growing strawberries for for use in our own preserves
History
Boddington's began growing at the top of Tregoney Hill, Mevagissey, Cornwall, during the Second World War. The original site consisted of 2 acres of apples, which soon grew to 3 acres growing a range of crops including flowers, vegetables and Royal Sovereign strawberries. In those days, strawberries had a two-week season!
During the following 30 years, the crops were whittled down, becoming more and more specialised, until, in the late 1960s, strawberries alone were grown. At this time, we purchased more land to increase the holding to 10 acres. Since then, we have become true specialists, and have trialled many new varieties and growing systems to find those most suited to our climate and conditions.
In 2001 we began making a high fruit content strawberry conserve, using the fruit that the supermarkets would not take: this may be too small, too large, the wrong colour, blemished or simply the variety delisted. The response has been phenomenal and over the last 7 years, the sales of conserve have crept up to equal that of the fresh fruit, and now have taken over. As a result of customer demand, we have also extended the range of high fruit content conserves to include Blackberry, Raspberry, and Orange Marmalade. All made without the use of artificial additives or preservatives.
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