Three generations of strawberry farmers have seen Sunny Ridge become an iconic institution in the Mornington Peninsula, where eager pickers fill their own punnets with the sweet blushing fruit as soon as the weather warms. Three varieties of strawberries are grown on the farm (Cal Giant, Albion and San Andreas) which are crafted into a range of gourmet Sunny Ridge goods including jams, syrups, sorbets, berry meringues and freeze dried strawberries smothered in chocolate.
Sunny Ridge is more than just strawberries, with blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, avocados, pumpkins, beans and corn also available from the farmgate. Of course, the strawberries are the star of the show and at Sunny Ridge you can pick your own during the summer “U-Pick” season. $AUD8 for adults and $AUD4 for kids will buy you some 20 minutes to source your own berries, filling 500g and 250g punnets respectively – make sure to pick the reddest, most luscious strawberries as they don’t change colour after they’ve been plucked from their patch!
Afterwards, treat your sweet tooth at the Dessert Cafe with delicious temptations such as the Strawberry Knickerbocker Glory – layers of creamy farm-made vanilla bean ice cream with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, toasted nuts and chocolate sauce – a marshmallow strawberry kebab with a molten pot of dipping chocolate, classic strawberries and dollop cream, and a supreme “make-your-own” hot chocolate or chai latte. The sweets-only cafe is open whenever the farm is, so there is plenty of opportunity to indulge.
Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm is also home to the Rebello Wines and Cheeky Rascal Ciders labels. Traditional Italian agriculture and winemaking techniques are matched with a range of fresh Sunny Ridge fruit to create award-winning sparkling strawberry wines, liquors and full-fruit ciders in flavours such as Passionfruit Pink Lady and Mulled Pear. The Rebello cellar door is located at the farm if you fancy a taste test of the celebrated drops like the Strawbellini Moscato, from 09:00 to 17:00 every day during November to April and on weekends 11:00 to 16:00 from May to October.