As a family we have created a number of annual traditions and activities, but one of my favourite has to be going strawberry picking in the summer. We usually visit our local PYO, but due to timings (and the current situation meaning everyone had already picked everything) we had to look further afield for our strawbs. I had seen a few people mention Lower Ladysden Farm in a local group, so we jumped in the car and drove over to Goudhurst to see if we were in luck!

As it happens luck was on our side as we managed to arrive on the last day of the current crop. We were advised that pickings could be slim, but we grabbed some punnets from the shop and wandered down to the tunnels to see what we could find. We had to search a bit harder, but as you'll see in the pictures we definitely managed to find enough fruit.

The strawberries at Lower Ladysden Farm are grown on tabletops so it was a little trickier for the littles to pick them without help. I actually found this helped to avoid punnets full of mushy / unripe strawbs though, as we had to help them pick the best ones! We mostly avoided extra nibbles too as they were too excited to find the ripe ones and fill their punnets to the top. 

Once the littles were sure we had enough we headed back up to the shop to pay, and of course see what other treats were available in the new farmshop. If you don't want to PYO Lower Ladysden farmshop carries a wide variety of ready picked seasonal produce, as well as their own range of jam and chutneys, ice creams and sorbets and juice. The farm also works with local bakers and cake makers to supply yummy treats, and of course we came for coffee and cake! We sat out in the picnic area with these (and our pickings of course), while the littles ran around and enjoyed the sun. It really was a perfect morning out!

It wasn't until we researched Lower Ladysden more when we came home that discovered they also run a Maize Maze in the summer, as well as pumpkin picking and Halloween fun in the autumn. How fab is that?

If you're looking for somewhere to go Strawberry picking a little further afield, then why not try have a look at the best strawberry picking locations in and around London instead.

Strawberry Picking at Downingbury Farm

Bright and early Saturday morning we packed up the car and headed to Downingbury Farm. Nestled in the Kentish countryside, Downingbury Farm is a fab place to grab fresh fruit and veg, and other fresh produce, and is also home to a pick your own. From strawberries and gooseberries to apples, plums and raspberries, there's plenty of choice throughout the year. We came for the strawberries, and Indiana couldn't wait to get picking!

The back field was a little tricky to navigate to with the pram, but it was well worth it! Despite seeing lots of people with full punnets of strawberries there was a still a large amount for us to pick ourselves. And after a quick explanation to Indie about what ones we needed, we were off.

Parker absolutely loved crawling and exploring in the fields. He had been teething awfully during the week, and hadn't eaten properly in about 3/4 days. Even he couldn't resist the strawberries though, and was picking them straight off the bushes and chomping away. Clearly all he needed was some super fresh yummy strawberries!

Of course Indiana didn't want to miss out, so we let her eat a couple too. We took along our Babymoov bowls so she could hold the ones she collected. They're the perfect size for snacks on the go, and the lids meant the ones she didn't want to eat straight away were safe (and away from Parker's little fingers too)! 

As you can see she was very proud of her pickings, and was proudly telling everyone about our visit. Pick your own is great for a day out, and I love showing the kids exactly where food comes from. The tasty fruit we picked was a huge bonus too! I'm excited to make some yummy smoothies with the ones we picked (if there's any left). The Babymoov Cooking App has some fab recipe ideas, so keep an eye out for a future post!

Have you been to a pick your own?

This post is part of my role as a Babymoov Stresslessweaning Ambassador. All thoughts and opinions are my own