Cherries: ripe, juicy and full of flavour at Syndale Farm

Faversham is all about cherries at this time of year. The best I've found are on sale at the cherry shop at Syndale Farm, and farmer John Clinch kindly took time out to give me a look round the orchards.

John's family has been farming here for about a century. His main crop is hops – he supplies the award-winning Hopdaemon brewery just down the road at Newnham, among others – and clearly takes a pride in the quality of his produce. The farm also grows apples, asparagus, and, of course, cherries. 

"We've got a fantastic crop," John promised as we approached the orchards. And he was right: trees heaving with fruit which, because they are netted or covered, are allowed to grow to the perfect point of ripeness before they go on sale at the farm's shop. 

For lovers of flavour this makes a big difference, and it is why the cherries for sale at Syndale Farm stand out from the under-ripe offerings in many stores.

All the cherries grown here are sold at the farm's shop; the variety on sale now is called Summer Sun: sweet and juicy it is too. "We'll very soon move on to Colney, Lapin, Regina, all sorts," said John.

The range of shades in the orchard, from pink to purple-black is a feast for the eyes, but it's the taste that counts and the varieties run the gamut of flavours from sweet to tart, mostly suitable for the table, though the acid Morello is probably more suited as a flavoursome cooking ingredient.

John specialises in "late" varieties but is introducing more "earlies" which will meet customer demand at the start of the season. 

According to Defra, although the area devoted to growing cherries in the UK rose from a low of 381 hectares in 2003 to 478 in 2009, we still import about 95 per cent of our cherries.

But with produce this good on our doorstep, Faversham fruit-lovers have the chance to give the supermarket a miss for a while and enjoy some home-grown delights.

 You'll find Syndale Farm's cherry shop just off the A2. As you head for Sittingbourne, after you've passed Judd's Folly Hotel on the left, look out for the cherry shop sign and take the left turn to Newnham; Syndale Farm is a few hundred yards on the right.

• Have you got a favourite spot where you pick up your cherries? Share your secret with Faversham People in the comment box below.