It’s Elderflower time: Belvoir Farm welcomes pickers back to the fields – get paid to pick from 20 May

Belvoir Farm’s annual elderflower harvest is the perfect way to turn a countryside stroll into something a little more rewarding and this year the Bottesford-based soft drinks maker is calling on the help of the local community to start picking flowers a little earlier than usual, thanks to weather patterns that have accelerated flower growth.

Despite the record-breaking wet winter that impacted the root systems of some crops, recent warm weather has accelerated plant development, with the first buds already appearing, and now the crucial four week picking window that usually kicks off at the beginning of June will start almost two weeks earlier on 20 May.

Belvoir Farm is behind some of the UK’s best-loved elderflower drinks, but each year they rely on a network of local pickers to gather the blossoms they need at their seasonal peak. In return, participants are paid by weight – this year £3.75 per kilo - meaning a productive afternoon can translate into a worthwhile payout. The most they paid a single picker last year was £5,000 - a lot of flowers but a nice bonus!

Pickers come from across Leics, Notts, Lincs, Cambridgeshire and Derbyshire – and even some from Northants. Taking part doesn’t require specialist skills or equipment. A sturdy bag, comfortable footwear and practical clothing are enough to get you going. Add gloves and long sleeves for protection, and you’re ready to head out along footpaths, hedgerows and green spaces where elder trees flourish.

You can also pick from Belvoir Farm’s own 60acre organic elderflower plantation and whilst you have to be over 16 to pick and be paid, that doesn’t mean children can’t join in the fun of a fabulous family walk.

Belvoir Farm owner Pev Manners said: “We had a wet start to the year, but the past two months have been dry and sunny, which has brough the flowers forward, so we hope our wonderful community will come out in force once again and start picking a little earlier than usual.

“It’s this dedication from the hundreds of people who come on board each year to help us pick and earn some extra cash that’s kept our cordial going for over 40 years and it’s still made to my mum’s recipe that she created at the kitchen table all those years ago.”

As interest grows in the popular community event, so does the importance of responsible harvesting. Participants are always asked to abide by the Countryside Code. Key principles include ensuring you have permission if you are picking on private land, to respect the land and avoid damage to the trees or surrounding habitat so that elder trees continue to thrive for future seasons.

All flowers must be fresh, so the company is asking for pickers to deliver on the day they pick, as they’ll go brown very quickly and become unsuitable to use, and to drop off to their factory at Barkestone Lane, Bottesford NG13 0DH (Monday - Saturday, 2pm – 6pm) or their weighing-in station at Sacrewell Farm & Countryside Centre, just off the A1 near Peterborough (Monday - Saturday, 2pm – 5pm).

Every flower picked is infused within 24 hours and turned into the company’s rich and fragrant cordial that’s then bottled and shipped across the UK and around the world. Spelt “Bel-voir”, but pronounced “Beever”, the area is famous for elderflower which grows brilliantly on the brashy limestone soils to the south of the castle in Leciestershire and further east in the lovely light soil around the Trent and nearer to Nottingham.

To find out more about the harvest and to download an information pack visit the Belvoir Farm website here.