Owned and run by John Mitchell, the farm has been in the family since 1952. Originally a dairy farm, there is now no livestock, the main focus being on soft fruit and cereals. We planted our first crop of strawberries here in 1995.
We now grow approximately 180 acres (77 hectares) of strawberries, the varieties being Malling Centenary, Sonata and Elsanta. The flavour of our fruit is particularly important to us, and our growing methods are specifically aimed at achieving the best flavour possible. All of our production is protected by polythene tunnels, which helps to extend the harvest period and improve fruit quality.
Our fruit harvest season is May to September, peaking in June, July and August. As strawberry production is very labour-intensive, we employ a large team of seasonal workers, who live on site during the summer months.
Our fruit is packed on the farm and marketed to major UK supermarket chains and is sold and enjoyed all over the UK.
Location
The farm is located 1.5km from the historic town of St Andrews on the East coast of Scotland. Easily accessible on foot from the farm, St Andrews offers a wide variety of shops, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities. Famous for its university, golf and beautiful beaches, it’s a perfect place to enjoy your days off. There are good bus and rail connections to major cities too, so you can explore more of Scotland.
Recruitment
Allanhill Farming Company employs over 500 workers in the season, many returning to work year after year, some of whom have been promoted to supervisors and managers. We offer a wide range of jobs throughout the year with the main job being strawberry picking. This is a very hard job, but rewarding!
Wages
All of our strawberries are grown in the soil under polythene tunnels. For most of the work you will be in teams or groups with all tasks involving lifting, twisting and bending. You will need to be fit and healthy and willing to get your hands dirty! The majority of the work will be done on a piecework basis with full training being given.
Piecework means that the worker is paid for the amount done and not the hours worked. The advantage of piecework is that the more you pick the more you will earn, this will require hard work. However your piece – rate will be monitored daily to ensure that you can reach an hourly minimum rate, regulated by the Scottish Agricultural Wages Order.
Normally we work 6 days a week with a day off on Saturday, however this can vary depending on the weather, the quality of the crop and the time of season.
Accommodation
We have more than 100 caravans available on site and each of them is fully equipped with shower, toilet, kitchen and bedrooms. There is a laundry room,where we will wash and dry your clothes while you’re at work, leaving you to relax when you get home.
Our campsite has wireless internet for those who wish to bring laptops. A computer room is also available with internet access. The campsite offers various recreation facilities such as a gym, table tennis, darts, pool table and a football area. Every week we provide a bus to the local supermarket for your groceries.
Requirements
No English is required as we have several translators in many languages including some of our bilingual supervisors and managers. You must be over 18 years old. You must also be an EU citizen or have the relevant work permit to work in the UK.
