A HORSFORTH farm has been shortlisted in a prestigious national awards scheme celebrating the best Pick Your Own experiences in the country.
Horsforth Pick Your Own at Kemps Farm is among three finalists in the Pick Your Own Farm of the Year category in the Farm Retail Awards 2027, organised by the Farm Retail Association (FRA).
The awards recognise outstanding farm retailers across the UK and are judged by fellow farm retailers and industry experts.
Founded by Rory Kemp and now run alongside his son Joe, Horsforth Pick Your Own at Kemps Farm offers summer fruit and flower picking, pumpkin picking at Halloween and Christmas trees during the festive season. The farm also produces its own beef, pork and free-range turkeys, helping showcase the journey from farm to fork through educational and family-friendly experiences.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, patron of the Farm Retail Association, praised this year’s finalists.
He said: “Pick-your-own farms are a great way to turn gathering good food into a memorable experience.
“You walk the rows yourself, choosing fruit at its ripest, so the taste is going to beat anything that’s been shipped and stored, and it’s a great way to find out where the best ingredients actually come from.
“These 2027 finalists are testament to this great growing tradition and, of course, they are the cream of the crop.”
Ben Loughrey, chair of the Farm Retail Association, said the shortlisted farms highlighted everything that makes Pick Your Own attractions popular with visitors.
He said: “Our 2027 finalists highlight what makes Pick Your Own farms such a great day out – fresh locally grown food, a direct connection to farming, and memories made along the way.
“It’s great to see such a strong line-up from Farm Retail Association members across the country, all doing that in their own way – whether through the variety of crops they grow or the experiences they create on farm. That’s what keeps customers coming back and helps push the sector forward.”
Horsforth Pick Your Own will compete against Kenyon Hall Farm in Cheshire East and Manor Farm Fruits in Staffordshire for the title.
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Other award categories include Farmers Market of the Year, Farm Shop Butchery of the Year, Farm Café/Restaurant of the Year and Farm Shop of the Year.
The winners will be announced at the Farm Retail Awards dinner during the FRA Annual Conference in March 2027.
