Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries, just a short 10 minutes from Port Macquarie, is a fun place to visit for people of all ages. With the opportunity to pick your own strawberries straight off the vine, taste and purchase fresh produce from the farmland store and have a bite to eat in the café, it is easy to see why Ricardoes has been voted Port Macquarie's best tourist attraction three times.
Undercover Strawberry Vines
Start your visit by collecting a bucket and pair of scissors from the country store, and then make the short walk to the undercover strawberry vines; just follow the fresh fragrant smell.
Children will love finding and filling their baskets with luscious, red strawberries from the lower vines and adults will have just as much fun helping their kids or picking strawberries from higher up. While it is free to enter the strawberry farm, you pay by weight for the strawberries that you pick. The beauty is that you can pick as many or as little as you like; but keep in mind that once you actually taste the strawberries you will wish you picked some more!
When you head back into the store to purchase your strawberries you will be tempted by the wonderful variety of local produce. As well as Ricardoes' award winning jams, marmalades, relishes, pickles and sauces there is an array of sweets, puddings, natural body lotions and soaps. Many of the products can be sampled in the very relaxed atmosphere and purchased at reasonable prices.
Country Store
Cafe Red
A visit to Ricardoes is not complete without a snack or light meal at Café Red. With something for everyone the food ranges from cakes to quiches, salads or chips. My favourites are the delicious iced-chocolate and plain or pumpkin scones. Cooked fresh every 20 minutes, the scones are served light, fluffy and warm with fresh cream and strawberry jam – simply delicious!
