Hundreds of farms all over the country will once again open their gates for this year’s Open Farm Sunday on 11 June. It's your chance to pull on your sturdiest shoes to learn first-hand about where your food comes from.
You can find your local farm taking part at: farmsunday.org
The family-friendly event is a great opportunity for members of the public, young and old, to hear directly from farmers about their role as food producers and custodians of our iconic countryside.
Each farm will offer something unique, based around the farm’s individual story. You can find something for everyone - from small farms offering self-guided walks to larger open days offering a full range of family attractions and catering. Activities differ from farm to farm and could include anything from a simple farm walk or nature trail to tractor and trailer rides, demonstrations, pond dipping, activities for children, food tasting, mini farmers’ market or a farm shop.
Suffolk Strawberries prove a hit
Around 350 people attended the Open Farm Sunday event at Lindsey Lodge Farm in Suffolk in 2019. The farm is a small horticultural business growing strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.
As well as tours around the farm, activities in 2019 included mini trailer rides for children, pond dipping with local experts, tasting and comparing different varieties of strawberries, moth trapping results supervised by the RSPB, and drinks and cakes sold in aid of the village church.
Grower Andrew Sturgeon said: “Open Farm Sunday is a great opportunity to show people where their food comes from and how it’s grown, particularly for us, since we sell all of our produce in Suffolk. It’s a chance for people to see what goes on beyond the farm gate, including how we, and other farmers, look after the natural environment. We may not have big tractors and animals, which children like to see, but visitors do get the opportunity to sample lots of strawberries!”