A drinks firm is seeking berry pickers and celebrating the Queen's Jubilee.
Belvoir Farm, the Leicestershire family drinks business, is calling on people from across the county to lend a hand during its unique elderflower harvest season.
The annual event, with a crucial six-week blooming season between May and June, continues to grow in size and popularity each year.
Picking takes place from Belvoir’s own 60 acre organic plantation and the wild surrounding hedgerows found across Leicestershire and the company’s three bordering counties.
Belvoir Farm MD, Pev Manners, comments: “Each year we have an incredible response from people around Leicestershire and our bordering counties.
"Whether you’re an annual picker or a first-time volunteer, we’re really encouraging the local community to get involved so we can gather the volume of elderflowers needed for our much-loved drinks.”
This year’s harvest also ties into the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, with two limited edition ‘Best of British’ bottles designed to house Belvoir’s classic Elderflower Cordial and Sparkling Elderflower.
A Jubilee Plantation of 500 elder trees will also be taking centre stage at the farm. It's all part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) and planted for people to enjoy for many years ahead.
Elderflower is what inspired the first drink that Belvoir Farm created over 40 years ago. Their signature cordial is still made to the same traditional family recipe.
From just one cordial, the range has grown to include over 30 delicious soft drinks, all bottled at the Bottesford plant and shipped internationally.
Pickers who take part in the harvest will be paid by the kilo for their efforts. They can pocket some cash, get walking in the fresh air, and reconnect with nature all at the same time.
And pickers can be reassured that Belvoir Farm, with their own sustainable farming methods and Countryside Stewardship practices, always give at least as much back to the land as they harvest.
The harvest season runs from the end of May for five to six weeks and, to ensure product freshness, pickers will be encouraged to pick and drop-off on the same day.
As in previous years, pickers will be paid in cash once the elderflowers have been weighed and verified.
To find out more about the Belvoir Farm 2022 Elderflower Harvest, how ‘paid to pick’ works and how to get involved visit Belvoir Farm.
Written by Emily Miller
Emily is a Senior Journalist for Niche Magazine with over a decade of journalism experience. She enjoys going to gigs, visiting galleries and walking in all weathers.
