F ever there was a perfect advert for big fat juicy strawberries it is Tom Glover.

Not Tom Glover senior, who has been running his family’s Mill Farm in Thorrington for 36 years.

Not even the middle Tom Glover, his son.

But his son, ninth generation Tom Glover, who so eagerly chomps on the farm’s Alice variety, happy to let the juice trickle down his chin.

Little Tom, as he is known to avoid confusion, makes you want to grab a handful of the fruit from the Pick Your Own farm and stuff it into your mouth before the season ends in the coming weeks.

Annabelle Glover, Tom senior’s wife, laughs as she watches her grandson devour the fruit of their labour.

“The children love it,” says Annabelle, 63. “We will keep this farm going for as long as we can.”

The couple, who have always had their day jobs alongside running the farm and having a Pick Your Own business, came to the 60-acre Mill Farm 36 years ago.

It has been in Tom’s family since 1939 and started life as a dairy farm just after the war.

Tom, who is sales director of a business selling farm machinery, has fond memories of growing up on the farm and admits it is easy to take for granted.

Leaning back in his chair he says: “It is hard work living on a farm but it is a wonderful life. As a young boy I had an idyllic childhood. We used to go out the back door and disappear into the countryside. Of course it is all different now.”

The couple, who have a son and a daughter who are married with their own families, raised their children on the farm, something Annabelle remembers with humour but admits it was hard work at the time.

“I remember shouting up from the field to make sure the children had their blazers and bags so Tom could take them to school .We used to sell to quite a few shops then across Colchester and Clacton but only sell to five now in Brightlingsea,” says Annabelle, a former primary school teacher who has worked for Headway for 26 years.

Pick Your Own makes up a large part of the business now, with people harking back to their childhood, keen to give their own children the same experiences and memories.

Tom explains: “We are enjoying a bit of a renaissance in Pick Your Own. It’s not for everyone but whereas years ago people used to pick to make their own jam, these days it is more for the experience. “We are also in a very beautiful spot with the old watermill and a lake which helps with the irrigation.

“People are also appreciating local produce now and strawberries are also considered very healthy.”

Mill Farm grows several different varieties of strawberries on its farm, including Honeoye, Christine, Alice, Florence and Pegasus.

Annabelle, who has also managed to fit in a masters degree in interprofessional health care while working, running a farm and being a mum, swears by the Alice variety for jam making and even gives away her secret tip: “I make the jam, jar it and freeze it. That way when you use it it taste as fresh as the day you made it,” she reveals.

The Alice variety are not sold in supermarkets because they are so soft they are not robust enough to last the journey.

The farm is now coming to the end of its busy season, with the last of the strawberries being picked after a late start due to the poor weather this year so far.

Despite this the mouthwatering scent of strawberries fills the air in the garage, from which Annabelle sells the fruit picked by staff that very morning.

Soon Tom and Annabelle, who celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this year, will be thinkling about starting the whole process again, getting the land ready, weeding, planting , irrigating and strawing.

Tom says: “We try and keep it as simple as possible. It’s been a busy few weeks with picking starting at 5.30am until 7.30am, from which time we welcome members of the public to pick their own.

“It is hard juggling work and running the farm but it is becoming more popular now and people keep asking us to keep going.

“We are not interested in growing strawberries under polythene bags or on raised beds. “What we do is traditional and people seem to like that.”