Several of the veg team made the trip to Lincolnshire last week to visit Strawberry Fields Farm near Boston. Pam and her family have been supplying us with veg for so many years now, no one is quite sure when the relationship began, but a conservative guess suggests 15 years at the very least. Supplier relationships as longstanding as these are cherished dearly by Unicorn, but we have a particular admiration for Pam Bowers.

Pam is a force of nature, worldly-wise with a brilliant sense of humour, she has experienced more across her near 50 seasons of growing than most could expect in a lifetime. She heads up the business at Strawberry Fields with remarkable energy and a steadfast commitment to organic principles.

We spent the day in the fields with her sons Clyde and Dicken who took great care and time to show us around the farm and explain the operation. Their dedication to biodiversity and the protection of nature was present in every consideration of their work, from the idyllic reservoirs teeming with birds and plant life that irrigate the fields, to their fastidious approach to crop rotations, quality checks and natural pest-control solutions. The peat-rich soil was visibly healthy, evidence of half a century’s care and attention.

Strawberry Fields supply us with beautiful heads of lettuce, fennel, celery, beetroot, squash, leeks and an array of woody and fresh herbs all grown on their fertile slice of the fens. The herb fields were an especial delight to witness, long neat rows of thyme, oregano, basil, parsley and sage – Pam is one of the few growers who maintains such a broad and interesting variety of herbs to her offer, most of our customers will have enjoyed a bag at some point since shopping at Unicorn.

Thanks to Pam and her family for all their hard work, we simply wouldn’t be the same shop without you. Here’s to the next 50 years!