From pick-your-own fields to fruit-laden hedgerows, late summer is the best time to discover sweet, berried treasure. So, bring a basket, take a friend, and stay in a cottage with a fabulous kitchen to create great recipes from all your foraging finds.
Pick in the fields
Gather with ease this season at pick-your-own farms. Popping up all over the country, you won’t go far without spotting a roadside sign calling passers-by to try irresistibly sweet berries. PYO fields burst with long lanes of raspberry canes and large clusters of scarlet-red strawberry plants waiting to be plucked. Armed with large cardboard punnets, pickers are set free to fill their boxes (and bellies!) to the brim.
Forage in the wild
A fruit with ancient roots, the berry has been foraged by humans for centuries. From the lesser-found elderberry to the well-loved blackberry, they’re used for all sorts of favourite recipes like pies, crumbles, wines, jams, jellies, vinegar and cakes. Berries are rich in Vitamin C and are often used for medicinal purposes. They’re boiled down and turned into preserves or syrups to ward off colds during winter.
Wild berry picking tips
1. Watch out for prickles when you’re scouring hedgerows. Blackberries grow on brambles with thorns and there may be stinging nettles! Wear trousers and long sleeves for protection.
2. Pick wisely. Don’t clear one specific area of berries because birds and animals like to eat them, too. Look high and low (but not too low to avoid dog weeing height!)
3. Avoid roadside hedgerows because their berries will be full of exhaust fumes. Berries growing on cliffsides taste slightly salty from the sea!
4. Firm and plump berries are the best to go for as the squashed ones spoil easier.
5. Freeze or cook quickly after picking. Only wash the berries just before you’re about to use them to stop them from going bad.
Once you have your freshly picked spoils, it's time to make your way to one of these cottage kitchens to feast on your finds…
Far View
Nr Bodmin, Cornwall | Sleeps 14
Best for: Making food al fresco in a stunning outdoor kitchen
Situated on the North Cornish coast in berry-picking heaven with the sea nearby, Far View comes with an unbelievable kitchen – built outside.
Meadowcliff
Shaldon, Devon | Sleeps 18
Best for: A stylish pink kitchen for baking and entertaining
Prepare berry puddings aplenty in the wonderful kitchen at Meadowcliff, perfect for late summer family gatherings.
To the Lighthouse
Nr Dale, Pembrokeshire | Sleeps 6
Best for: Whiling away an afternoon cooking in a kitchen looking out to sea
Gather salt-kissed, cliffside berries along the dramatic Welsh coast path, before returning to the kitchen at To the Lighthouse for incredible sea views as you cook.
Berry picking in the late summertime: A video story
Bring a basket and head to a pick-your-own field for summertime berries. A simple but sweet way to spend an August afternoon.
Fancy a foraging adventure? Explore our collection of holiday cottages across the UK and find the perfect cottage for the late summertime.
