The Best Pick-Your-Own Farms Near London
Photography: CHRISTIANN KOEPKE/UNSPLASH
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The Best Pick-Your-Own Farms Near London

If you haven’t visited a pick-your-own farm this summer, there’s still time to fill up a punnet of strawberries or gather some organic veg. A different kind activity to do with friends, or of course, the whole family, there are several in and around the capital worth the trip. Here’s where to go for the cream of the crop…
Photography: CHRISTIANN KOEPKE/UNSPLASH

Cammas Hall, Essex

Open: Tuesday to Sunday from 9am-4pm.

Price: £3 per person, children under 5 go free. 

Cammas Hall won PYO Farm of the Year a few months ago which comes as no surprise when you visit their beautiful farm, brimming with delicious fruit and veg. Located on the Essex-Hertfordshire border, it’s easily reached from London where you can pick your own until October. Cammas currently has plenty of raspberries, as well as strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and onions. Head to the farm in autumn for squashes, sweetcorn and pumpkins, and choose sunflowers from the freshly cut crop. Cammas holds events and workshops throughout the year and fires up its outdoor food-wired pizza oven during weekends. There’s also a maize maze and children’s play area which little ones will love.

Hatfield Broad Oak, CM22 7JT

Visit CammasHall.co.uk

Crockford Bridge Farm Shop, Surrey 

Open: Monday to Saturday from 10am-6pm; Sunday from 10am-4.30pm.

Price: £4 for adults, £2 for children.

Located in Addlestone, Crockford Bridge has 80 acres of land and is one the oldest farms in Surrey. It’s been owned by the same family since the 70s who specialise in traditional methods where their produce is grown outside without the use of polytunnels. This month, visitors can choose from raspberries, blackberries, beetroot, spinach, cabbage, courgettes, marrows, French beans and sweetcorn, depending on crop availability. Crockford Bridge also sells pumpkins during the autumn months and Christmas trees later in the year, both of which can be handpicked from the allotments. There’s a lovely tea shack on site where you can enjoy cakes, sandwiches and quiches, as well as an ice-cream parlour which has 24 flavours made with the farm’s own fruit.  

Visit CrockfordBridgeFarm.co.uk

 

BETHANY BALLANTYNE/UNSPLASH

Camma Shall Fram
Camma Shall Fram

Stanhill Farm, Kent

Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am-4pm; Sunday from 10am-3pm.

Price: £1 per person, children under 4 go free.

Head to Stanhill Farm in Dartford to browse 150 acres of farmland. Just a short drive from central London, the farm is managed by two brothers who harvest 20 to 30 different varieties of fruit and veg each year. Pick up a container from the shop and pick your own strawberries (a punnet only costs £3 while a whole basket is £15), then choose from raspberries, runner beans, courgettes, marrows and mini cucumbers. Look out for beetroot, which is just coming into season, and if you’re visiting later in September, choose from sweetcorn, garden peas and green tomatoes. If you have kids in tow, head to Stanhill’s maize maze and finish the afternoon with lunch in the picnic area.

The Farm House, Birchwood Road, Dartford, DA2 7HD

Visit StanhillFarm.co.uk

Hawkswick Lodge Farm, St Albans

Open: Tuesday to Friday from 10am-6pm; Saturday and Sunday from 9am-4pm.

Price: £3 per person, children under 5 go free. 

This family-run business is located in the Hertfordshire countryside, just a 50-minute drive from London. Hawkswick specialises in soft fruit where visitors can pick raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, plus three types of strawberries – Sonata, Jive and Malling, the latter of which is particularly juicy. Look out for the Black Blute blackberries which are extra juicy this year (according to Hawkswick’s farmers) and the Ben Connan blackcurrants which can be made into delicious jams. 

Harpenden Road, St Albans, AL3 6JG

Visit HawkswickFruit.co.uk

Hawkswick Lodge Farm
Hawkswick Lodge Farm

Parkside Farm, Enfield

Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 9am-5.30pm; hours vary on Sunday depending on availability.

Price: £4 for adults, £3 for children.

This family-run farm has been harvesting fruit and veg since 1983. In recent years, they’ve become famous for the delicious strawberries which are grown on a ‘table-top system’, meaning you don’t have to bend down when picking the fruit. Parkside also has several areas of potted raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants, as well as allotments containing broad beans, courgettes, onions, beetroot and tomatoes. Tickets to the farm will be fully refunded against your PYO produce, which will be calculated by weight. Once you’ve filled up a basket or two, head to the on-site farm shop to stock up on ice-cream, honey and fresh juices.

Hadley Road, Enfield, EN2 8LA

Visit ParksideFarmPYO.co.uk

Flower Farm, Surrey

Open: Monday to Sunday 9am-5pm.

Price: Free.

Easily reached from London via a 90-minute drive, you’ll find Flower Farm in the pretty village of Godstone. The farm has been owned by the Deeley family since 1974 who grow cherries, raspberries, strawberries and plums. Check their Instagram to see when the fruit is ready to pick each week and have your punnets at the ready – their raspberries are particularly delicious. Stock up on treats at the farm shop and deli (the resident baker bakes fresh bread every day), then stop for a drink and bite to eat at the on-site tearoom or pub garden which holds regular live music evenings.

Oxted Road, Godstone, RH9 8BP

Visit Flower-Farm.co.uk

Flower Farm
Flower Farm
Parkside Farm
Parkside Farm

Hewitts Farm, Kent

Open: Tuesday to Saturday from 9am-4.30pm; Sunday from 9am-4pm.

Price: Free.

Located just outside Orpington in Kent, Hewitts Farm is a family-run business set in 78 acres of land. The family grows a wide range of fruit and veg which can be picked throughout the seasons, but currently, you can choose from plums, spinach, beetroot, French beans, broad beans and peas, and apples at the end of the month through to September. Bring your own box or use one of the farm's punnets, before heading to the shop where you can buy organic eggs, apple and pear juice, and a range of condiments and preserves.

Court Road, Chelsfield, Orpington, BR6 9BX

Visit HewittsFarm.co.uk

Garsons Farm, Esher, Surrey

Open: Monday to Saturday from 9am-4pm; Sunday from 10am-4pm.

Price: £4 for adults, £1 for children.

If you’re local to Esher, head to Garsons Farm where you can pick your own crops in a two-hour slot. It’s the UK’s largest pick your own farm and one of the oldest on this list – the Garson family have been growing crops on the estate for 150 years. This month, you can pick strawberries, beetroot, cauliflower, marrows, spinach, redcurrants, onions and French beans, to name a few, as well as sunflowers and dahlias. Ahead of your visit, be sure to check the website’s crop map which has daily updates on availability. The farm shop at Esher has a deli, bakery and fruit and veg counter, while the partner shop at Tichfields, just a short drive away, has a great selection of homemade pastries, local wines and hampers filled with artisan goodies.

Garsons Esher, Winterdown Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 8LS

Visit Garsons.co.uk 

Copas Farm, Various Locations

Open: Tuesday to Thursday from 10am-5pm; Friday to Sunday from 10am-4pm.

Price: £4 per person.

Copas Farms has two pick your own farms – one at Cookham in Berkshire and the other at Iver in Buckinghamshire. Head to the Iver site where you’ll find strawberries, raspberries, opal plums, sweetcorn, spinach, beetroot, French beans and runner beans, while Cookham also has redcurrants, blackcurrants and sweetcorn. Later in September, both farms expect to have delicious Bramley, Cox and Discovery apples. Tickets are only released a few days in advance, so be sure to check the website for the latest crop updates and availability.

Calves Lane Farm, Billet Lan, Iver, SL0 0LU; Lower Mount Farm, Long Lane, Cookham, Berkshire, SL6 9RF

Visit CopasFarms.co.uk

*DISCLAIMER: Please check each website for availability before you book and familiarise yourself with the Covid-19 procedures in place.

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