We’ve made Cattows Farm in Leicestershire an annual tradition for their awesome pumpkin patch, but this was the first summer we had made it to try out something new, and we had a really great day out.

Cattows Farm is set in the Leicestershire countryside, with its own tea room and farm shop, as well as a permanent little play area with sandpit and little wooden teepee outside.

Throughout the summer they have various fruits to pick your own strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, gooseberries and other fruits throughout the season.

The fruit is always of a high quality, and if you didn’t want to pick your own, then you can always pick your own punnet up from the farm shop, along with other local produce too.

We visited in early August and they were low on strawberries and raspberries, but we had the fantastic experience of picking your own sunflowers – something I’d never done before. We signed out some secateurs from the farm shop (£5 deposit that they pay back straight away on return), and made our way down the field to choose our own.

Lily absolutely loved it, and it was so different from picking fruit which we love to do every summer anyway.

We visit each year during pumpkin season as they have a great set up with fields of pumpkins of different sizes as well as Halloween events going on along side it to make it a great day out.

Today was lovely as not only did we get to see the sunflowers, which were then only 60p each once you’d picked them, but there was also a giant corn maze in the shape of a witch on a broomstick, and a whole range of inflatables for children to enjoy – £3 for 10 minutes or £5 for an hour.

Being next to the tea room, this was great to grab a coffee and watch her play on all the inflatable slides, obstacle courses and bouncy castles!

She also made friends with their goat and sheep that reside in their own pen next to the tearoom, and enjoyed the sandpit while she waited for the inflatables to open up.

The tearoom I know can get busy and is popular for breakfast, but they have a lovely children’s menu, as well as a huge variety of homemade cakes and cupcakes which all looked delicious!

We arrived at 9am for the Sunday opening (a great time with little ones as most places don’t open til later on a Sunday!) and we had the place to ourselves, including the tearoom once we’d got back to there just before 10am.

It was then starting to get busier as we left around 11.30am, but it was lovely to enjoy a place without too many crowds on a sunny summer Sunday.

The staff were also really friendly, from the staff in the farm shop to those in the tearoom, which really makes a difference when you visit somewhere.

They also have a little takeaway coffee bar inside the farm shop itself too, for a quick takeaway drink and snack.

The farm is also situated in The National Forest and in 2004 they planted 100 acres of trees, which now provides some beautiful woodland walks to explore around the National Forest itself, with lakes, ponds and wildlife to see on your way.

I’d really recommend it at Cattows Farm, as there’s something to do for all ages and so much countryside to enjoy while you are there. What’s more, they accept well-behaved dogs, so you really can take the whole family with you!

We’ll definitely be back for pumpkin picking again this October, but would recommend it all year round to enjoy all the events and family-friendly activities they host each season.

Visit their website here for more information

Tips for visiting with children

• Keep an eye on their social media pages as they have different events depending on the season and are great at regularly updating it with what’s going on.
• There is a small toilet block with a single female toilet, a baby change room and a male toilet, however this is outside of the cafe, so take your little ones (and yourself!) there before visiting the tearoom or the fields to avoid a sudden “mummy, I need a wee wee!!”
• I know pumpkin picking is popular, so keep an eye on their dedicated Pumpkin Picking in Leicestershire website here for updates on what’s happening at Cattows including the fun run
• For visits with prams or wheelchairs, remember the pick your own areas are a bit of a walk across the fields, so you’ll need something with off-road wheels to get there easily!
• They open at 9am, so great to get there early if your little ones are early birds… and before the crowds get there!