Good old Google brought up one not too far away ( Grove Farm near Leighton Buzzard) and I raised a smile at the statement on the website:
"To sample one or to fruits is acceptable but anyone excessively eating will be asked to leave."
With mutterings from the Voice of Doom about how we'd need a chest freezer to make the trip worthwhile and to cover the petrol, and we'd better damn well eat all this and not just leave it to go off in the fridge we grabbed a wheelbarrow, bags and punnets and set off across the fields.
The plot was massive and Ruby enjoyed following the chalkboard signs directing us to each field of goodness.
What a fabulous way to get kids interested in food, encourage them to eat healthily and to learn about how things grow and where our food comes from.
It wasn't just 'pick your own'. It was also 'pull your own' and 'dig your own'. Forks are on hand to dig spuds and scrabble about in the mud unearthing the potato treasure.
We came home with garlic; onions; potatoes; beetroot; cucumber; rhubarb, peas; french beans and raspberries, as well as 6 beautiful fresh eggs.
That evening we feasted on a dinner of prawn, pea, cucumber and mint salad followed by roast cod with french beans, chorizo, olives and tomatoes, then fresh raspberries and greek yoghurt. Food doesn't get much fresher.
Wheeling a barrow across a field was so much more fun than pushing a trolley round the supermarket!
Fab stuff!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lucy. x
DeleteThat sounds amazing! I love that you could pick/dig up all those different things. Every summer I say we will do pick your own and we never seem to get around to it, but it is such a brilliant experience for kids
ReplyDeleteThanks Nicola, we really loved it, and it helped Ruby try new vegetables too - has to be a good thing!
DeleteI must say, I wasn't expecting to be able to dig our on spuds, that was a bonus!
We did PYO strawberries and raspberries a couple of weeks back, we'd almost eaten them all before we got home! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteDelicious indeed!! I was gutted that the strawberries had finished, but there were plenty of juicy raspberries :0)
DeleteI went to Grove Farm a few weeks back with my kids and some friends. It was the first time I'd ever been to a PYO and we had a fab day, I really recommend it just for getting the kids out in the fresh air and showing them where their food comes from. The lovely, fresh and very reasonable food was great too!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, small world Helen!
DeleteI think it was great value, we bought tonnes of stuff, but we also bought 3 ice lollies and paid less than £20, although with no receipt I've no idea how it broke down. But now I sound like the Old Man! it wasn't about saving money, it was about the experience :0)
Excellent. We've sadly only got one PYO near us and they only do strawberries and raspberries - which I already grow in the garden. I will go there with the children at some point though, but I'll probably wait until my youngest gets past her current phase of eating any strawberry she can find in the garden - regardless of how green or slug-eaten it is!
ReplyDeleteEwww yuck! Mind you, I guess there's more protein in it that way! x
DeleteThat sounds amazing, all the fun of the harvest with out the effort of growing! My veg has all rotted in the ground, not sure if it is my poor tending or too much early summer rain! Ruby looks delighted with her efforts and your dinner sounds to die for! Thanks for linking up to Country Kids.
ReplyDeleteAhh thanks. I was actually marvelling at ho well everything seemed to be thriving, it what looked to be a fairly neglected plot - loads of weeds! There's hope for me yet. x
DeleteIt's funny because I had been inspire to go las week but a Country Kids post that I saw too! It's such fun isn't it and I cannot wait to take the boys again. Ruby looks like she enjoyed her time there x
ReplyDeleteAhh yes, I think it's the BEST place for kids. x
DeleteYum-a-rama! Not done pick your own for a few years, not sure about dig your own, that's a bit like hard work ;)
ReplyDeleteI recommend taking a little helper and a big strong man ;0)
DeleteLovely pictures and your meal sounds delicious. Great outdoor fun x
ReplyDeleteOh thank you x
DeleteWhat a great thing to do with the children.
ReplyDeleteX x
What a lovely, heartwarming post and what a wonderful way to spend the day. Lovely food.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a fab PYO place! I also have fond memories of stuffing myself with strawberries, and my mum actually teaching me to pop them in my mouth with my back to everyone else! Oh the things you learn from your parents... Your meal sounds really delicious.
ReplyDelete