Calcott Hall Farm Shop

Calcott Hall Farm near Brentwood is a family-run farm shop, and the only thing you can pick yourself is pumpkins. The pick-your-own pumpkin patch opens for a few days around Halloween in late October. You pick your own pumpkins from the field, and no booking is required. A barn on the farm houses a pumpkin-carving tent, a sweet-treats stand, face painting and an ice-cream stall, and cakes are sold there. Card payment is preferred.

The farm’s original pick-your-own fruit and vegetables, which started with strawberries in 1974 and later included other crops, stopped in 2010, so apart from the pumpkin patch all produce is sold in the shop.

The shop sells locally produced fruit and vegetables, freshly baked cakes, fresh fish from the Star Fishmongers counter and meat from the N S Risdon butchery counter. The butchery’s beef is locally sourced and hung for at least 21 days, the pork and lamb are free range, and it also sells dry-cured bacon and handmade sausages. The shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday 10am to 2pm, closed Mondays.

The Barnyard Cafe serves breakfast from 8.30am to 11.30am and lunch from 11.30am to 3.30pm, with daily specials, Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. It has a playground and high chairs, and tables cannot be reserved. The shop entrance and car park are wheelchair accessible.

What visitors say

At Christmas the trees get specific praise: good quality and fairly priced, with staff who explain the varieties, help you choose and allow time for it. In late summer there are large pick-your-own sunflowers; use the farm’s secateurs or bring your own and leave a donation at the till or by QR code. Halloween pumpkins are sold, though one visitor’s turned rotten within two days. Strawberry picking is not offered, despite some listings still showing it.

The farm shop has fresh, well presented produce, butcher, fish, cheese and frozen counters, and a cafe serving bacon sandwiches, jerk chicken, coffee and cake. Staff are friendly and helpful, with a play area for children and plenty of parking. Prices are usually high; most say the quality justifies them, but a few find items too expensive and cafe portions small for the money.