The first Tamar Strawberry Festival will take place on the weekend of 19th to 21st June. It will celebrate our rich local strawberry growing heritage and acknowledge the important place that strawberries have played in our lives for at least two thousand years.

During the late nineteenth century, and for over 100 years the Tamar Valley was one of the main centres of strawberry production for the whole of the UK, with virtually every available piece of sheltered south facing land in the valley being planted with strawberries.

With the opening of the railway in 1890, ton after ton of strawberries were sent up to Covent Garden where they commanded premium prices, being the first in the UK to ripen. It was such a huge industry that even the punnets were made locally, during the winter months.

The Festival will take place on the weekend of 19th to 21st June, and will feature a special strawberry train on the Tamar Valley Line between Gunnislake and Plymouth, a strawberry banquet at Food Dreckly, Tavistock and special events featuring some of our local strawberry producers, at Cotehele, Lifton Strawberry Fields and Lukes Farm, Tamerton Foliot.

Jon Selman of Tamar Grow Local, who are the organisers of the Festival, said "we would especially like to hear from anybody whose relatives were involved in the industry in its heyday, or from anyone who is still growing any of the old varieties - such as Princess, Caroline, Phoebe or Royal Sovereign. This will help us to put together a more comprehensive picture of what life used to be like in the valley, and help us to start preserving some of those old strawberry varieties"

Anyone who wants more information about the local strawberry industry, the events taking place during the strawberry festival, or who has information or memories to contribute should contact 01822 834848 or Contact us here >>