Rhubarb

Availability: Back in 2024

Rhubarb PYO back in 2024.

When to pick: Our Ruby Red rhubarb is now available to pick mid April until mid June. We also have a great supply in the farm shop.

How to pick: We supply bags for picking though we encourage you to bring your own carrier bags to reduce plastic use. To pick, simply pull the stem from the bottom of the plant – but only pick one stem from each plant to protect the crop. Break off the leaves and leave them in the field as these are very poisonous; do make sure you wash your hands afterwards in one of our outdoor sinks.

Ready picked: If PYO is not for you then we have a skilled team of professionals in the fields who pick our best every single day. You can find our ready-picked fruit in the Farm Shop fridges. If you would like to order a large volume of fruit or vegetables for an event, we’ll be more than happy to help. Please drop us a message via our contact form or call the shop on 01865 358 309.

What we grow: We grow Ruby Red rhubarb here at Rectory Farm and we love that it keeps its vibrant colour throughout cooking. This rhubarb also tastes deliciously sweet: we recommend baking your rhubarb in the oven with lemon and orange zest and eating with granola and yoghurt for a simple, healthy breakfast. Our rhubarb grows in straw beds – the same straw we harvest from our wheat the year before – which stays warm in the winter, cool in the summer and provides extra nutrition for a healthy and tasty crop.

Plan your visit to Rectory Farm pick your own.

Recipe Ideas

Rhubarb Crumble Bars

Ingredients:

150g plain flour
100g oats
75g granulated sugar, separated
50g brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
100g softened butter
8-10 rhubarb stalks, cut into small chunks
80g white chocolate, melted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºCfan
Combine flour, oats, 50g granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Using your hands mix the ingredients together until a sandy texture is achieved.
Firmly press ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the tray.
Toss the rhubarb chunks in 25g granulated sugar and spread evenly over the crumb base.
Spread the remaining mixture evenly over the mixture.
Bake for 25 mins
Drizzle with white chocolate
Leave to cool and enjoy!

We also love turning our rhubarb into Rhubarb Salsa and Rhubarb Gin. Recipes by Ben and Julia at Rethink Cooking

Also available today

Potatoes

Available: now

Sacks of our Saxon, Jelly and Mozart potatoes are available in the farm shop from the autumn. Read more

Asparagus

Available: PYO open now

The English asparagus season traditionally runs from St George's Day until Midsummer. Read more

farm shop

We sell all our own homegrown produce when in season - including several varieties of our own potatoes - picked and on the shelves within a few hours. We work hard to source the best quality local products from Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and The Cotswolds. In our fridges you’ll find local meat, pies and sausage rolls from Eadles Farm in neighbouring Beckley village, chicken, lamb and beef from D'Oyley's Farm in Stadhampton, award-winning organic cheeses from Nettlebed Creamery, and traditional farmhouse Cotswold Butter – plus all manner of condiments and cooking sauces, baking supplies, biscuits, pantry essentials, free range eggs and milk from Oxfordshire farms and dairies. Our bread arrives each morning from Oxford’s Natural Bread Company and Degustibus artisan bakers in Abingdon.

help us to reduce waste

Please try wherever possible to bring your own containers and carrier bags when you visit our Farm Shop and PYO. We offer a discount on all our PYO fruit and vegetables when you bring your own container - do good and save money!

Lots of small containers for PYO are better than one large one, as soft fruit will easily bruise and squash at the bottom of a deep container.

Use our "bring your own weigh station" to weigh your containers before picking – we can then deduct these from the weight of your fruit when you come to pay at the end.

Remember to bring your own 1 litre bottle for milk or buy a Rectory Farm glass bottle in the shop.

pick your own

Come and pick your own Oxfordshire fruit, vegetables and flowers from our 45 acres of colourful produce, all grown just for you.

You can enjoy Rectory Farm produce practically all year round - it simply doesn't get fresher than picking your own. Start with asparagus brunches and rhubarb tarts and crumbles in April, and then enjoy a long summer of strawberries, artichoke, broad beans, courgettes, raspberries, redcurrants, blackberries and blackcurrants.

Autumn brings a hearty crop of sweetcorn and pumpkins, and our many varieties of potatoes are available to buy all year round, from baby salad potatoes to red and white spuds perfect for baking, mashing, roasting and boiling.

Find out more

PYO

The Rectory Farm picking season runs from April - October, starting with asparagus and finishing with pumpkins.

Our strawberries ripen up at the start of May and finish into September. Check out our PYO page to see what's in season when, and for lots of recipe ideas.

Plan your visit

Enjoy a day out at Rectory Farm picking all your favourite fruit and vegetables to take home and enjoy. Remember to bring your own punnets and carrier bags to help us reduce plastic use.

Visit the shop from March - December to stock up on kitchen essentials and all our ready-picked fruit and vegetables if you’re short on time.

rectory farm cafe

Join us for coffee and locally baked pastries, a pot of tea and a slice of homemade cake or a cool ice-cream topped with a flake.

We have both indoor seating and outdoor seating (covered and uncovered) and plenty of space for families and groups to gather and catch up over good food and drink.