The top farm shop near Manchester with strawberry picking and play area that families flock to

It's a farm shop that holds many special memories for families in the north west, thanks to its fruit picking fields - now Kenyon Hall Farm Shop in Croft has been nominated for a top national award. The farm is famous for its fields where you can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, tayberries and garden peas across the summer.

And, in more recent years, the site has become ever more popular with families, expanding with a large free outdoor play area, as well as seasonal attractions like the maize maze and sunflower field. Bosses are now celebrating after being nominated in the prestigious national Farm Retail Awards as one of the five best farms for fruit picking in the UK.

The farm shop is situated in a sprawling countryside setting, but is a popular destination for visitors from across the north west, thanks to its location just five minutes off Junction 22 of the M6, near Warrington in Cheshire. Inside the farm shop is a treasure trove of local produce and gifts, as well as fresh meats, cheeses and bakery goods.

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There's a farm shop café with a small indoor seating area, with lots more seating outside in both covered and open-air table settings. There's also a takeaway hut right next to the 'Kenyon Small Farm' play area, where parents can grab coffees, cakes and ice creams while watching the little ones play on climbing frames, swings, slides and play houses on the site.

There's a large garden centre here, with a large range of plants to browse through, or walk right through the polytunnel to head down to the large fruit fields beyond. You need to book in advance for a timed slot for fruit picking, and the fruit available to pick