Based in Kent, Clock House Farm has been in the Pascall family for over a century. They grow the sweet and fragrant Zara variety of strawberry on their farm for Driscoll’s
The fields of Kent are so abundant with fruit and vegetables that they call it The Garden of England. Clock House Farm stands in a particularly prime location, on the south-facing escarpment of Green Sound Ridge, which Oliver Pascall gives much of the credit for the quality of its strawberries, along with “the passion, hard work and attention to detail a dedicated team with decades of experience.”
Pascall’s great-grandfather Clive Murdoch started the business in 1903, and his grandfather Robert inherited it on returning from the Second World War, partnering with a friend to grow top fruit, cherries and hops through the lean years of Britain’s post-war recovery.
“Apple sales boomed in that time,” says Pascall, now something of a custodian of family history, “while hops became less profitable.” The “very impressive partnership” of his parents, Rob and Camilla, was responsible for most of the major changes that helped make Clock House an industry leader, expanding its pastoral holdings from less than 30 hectares in 1987 to over 360 hectares at present, and making soft fruit central to their success – raspberries, blackberries, plums and especially strawberries.
Pascall now presides over the business, having worked in its fields and latterly its poly tunnels, since he was a kid. “I loved growing up on farm,” says Pascall. “It was never a career or direction that was pushed or forced onto me, but I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
“I would definitely say that it’s a legacy business, but with the ethos, passion and feel of a family-run farm."
He studied at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester before returning to work in the family business. “I would definitely say that it’s a legacy business, but with the ethos, passion and feel of a family-run farm. I’m proud to continue the hard work that has lasted for over four generations now.”
Clock House was among the first operators in the UK to use the coir substrate table top systems that allow for closed irrigation and fertigation, which in turn make for 30-week growing seasons and “bigger, sweeter, better-quality British berries”. The farm is also a member of the grower-owned cooperative Berry Gardens, which means a fully-integrated supply chain, and ready access to a new state-of-the-art packing facility right next door.
“Our fruit is packed and distributed straight from the field, to ensure the very best standards and freshness, and pinnacle quality when it reaches store,” says Pascall. The supply line, of course, now extends as far as the UAE, where it only takes a handful of additional hours for customers in Dubai to get hold of that perfectly sweet and ripe Kent-grown fruit. He adds: “We are incredibly passionate about what we do, and it is always an absolute pleasure to hear about people eating our strawberries all over the world. It makes all the hard work worth it.”
