History
A hundred years of heritage
Aberdeenshire roots
The Mitchell family has farmed at Castleton since the 1900s.
The current branch of the family took over the reins in 1992, with Murray and Rhoda Mitchell bringing their dairy herd to join the strawberry crops that were already growing here.
As they reached the 21st century, Murray decided to concentrate on expanding the 20acres of strawberries onto a commercial scale, and to give up the dairy.
The first polytunnels were put up in 2000. This protection from the worst of the weather extended the growing season. Soon raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries were added to the harvest.
Meanwhile, a seasonal farm shop and café were opened in 2004 in the old filling station in nearby Fordoun. It sold – unsurprisingly – soft fruit, as well as local meat, cheese and vegetables. It was so successful that a shop and cafe were built at the end of the farm road.
Growing success
As word spread and its popularity grew, the café was extended in 2013 to offer more seats and make the farm shop bigger. A second kitchen was added to produce the growing range of jams, chutneys and syrups, as well as the homebakes and ready meals.
It was about this time that the strawberry tart glaze became so popular. This natural product, made with real fruit, has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and deserves its place as one of Castleton Farm’s most popular products
Café culture
And more recently in 2020, a spacious and airy conservatory was added to the café. This lets even more people enjoy the Castleton experience, giving easy access to the farm-themed playpark and creating a dog-friendly destination in the countryside.
Meet Ross and Anna
Ross and Anna tell the story of Castleton Farm in their own words.
Castleton news
Keep up to date with what's going on at Castleton Farm
Hampers: the perfect personalised gift
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