Early lavender crop for Roskorwell Farm in St Keverne

The fields near St Keverne usually turn purple with flowers in July - but this year the crop came two weeks early in the middle of June.

Mark Hall-Digweed, 54, runs Roskorwell Farm with his wife Sam, 55.

The farm's boom has been attributed to an "unusually warm spring" that was perfect for the flowers.

And to celebrate he has opened the farm to locals and invited them to take in the spectacle.

He said: "This is the largest crop we've had, we're the first lavender farm in Cornwall and we are doubling in size each year.

"This year is our biggest crop, but next year will be even bigger. It was a very dry spring which has brought them in sooner than usual, about two weeks earlier than last year.

"This is also the first year we have opened to the public, we welcomed people onto the farm - but everyone was socially distanced.

"On the farm it's very easy, we stuck to the rules. We wanted to share what we had with people to cheer them up in these times.

"It was too beautiful for us to just sit on our tractor and harvest, and we wanted to share it with people in the locality."

Mark said he had always worked in agriculture, but turned to farming lavender after going on his honeymoon to Luberon, France.

He added: "I've always been in agriculture, I was brought up farming but this is my first lavender farm. I was inspired by others in the industry and after visiting Luberon.

"We honeymooned Luberon and we found it a beautiful crop. We've been growing here for four years now."

The farm is staffed by just the married pair, Mark and Sam.

Sam said: "It has turned into a love affair with lavender, there have been a few sort of love/hate times, the first year when we planted it was covered with weeds, but now each day I come into the field it fills me with happiness."