As soon as there’s a nip in the air and I have to reach for my jacket, I’m already clearing my schedule for a weekend in October to get my boots on and head to a pumpkin patch. It’s become something of a tradition for Jake and I each year to visit a different patch each year to pick our own pumpkins, making for a wholesome morning out embracing the changing of the seasons.
In Staffordshire and Cheshire, were lucky to have a wonderful selection of pumpkin patches where you can discover gourds of all shapes, sizes and colours. From photo booths and carving stations to alpaca walks and dog demonstrations, each family-run farm offers a fun-filled family day out for all ages – even the dogs, in some cases.
Here’s my pick of the best pumpkin patches in Staffordshire and Cheshire that offer the best day out for couples, families and more.
Lower Drayton Farm
In Penkridge, Lower Drayton Farm sees guests hop on the trailer ride to pick your pumpkin from their 12-acre patch, which has sprouted after 150,000 pumpkin seeds of various varieties were planted last year – making it one of the largest pumpkin fields in the midlands.
When you’ve picked your pumpkin you can head to the new indoor pumpkin carving barn and get creative, meaning that you don’t need to make a mess of your own kitchen to make a jack-o-lantern for October 31.
Tickets to the farm cost £12 entry per person, but the fee also covers the cost of one pumpkin which can be carved on site, or taken home to enjoy. Additional pumpkins cost between £2 and £6 depending on size, and you can also pick your own carrots, potatoes and sweetcorn at no extra cost.
Lower Drayton is also home to a number of farm animals, including pigs who gratefully eat all of the scooped out pumpkin waste from the carving station. There’s a fabulous photobooth that the kids will love, with catering on site with fresh pumpkin soup, hot drinks and sweet treats.
The farm is open daily from October 14-31 and must be booked in advance, with the option to add on tickets to the indoor play barn if you do have little ones.
Brookfields Farm Shop
Postcode: ST5 5EG
Brookfields Farm Shop is home to hundreds of homegrown pumpkins, and last year, their patch had almost doubled in size compared to previous visits. Their gourd hoard sees not just the classic orange pumpkins, but blue and white ones too!
This year, they’re open from October 4 until Halloween daily, with an adorable welcome arch perfect for snapping a picture with your wheelbarrow. The patch is free to visit with no booking required, but parking is tight and there can be queues on busy weekends – so I recommend going early in the month, and in the week where possible. Don’t leave it too late – they sold out before October 29 last year.
There’s also trailers of smaller pumpkins to choose from if you don’t fancy picking your own, with fresh local produce and artisanal products available in the farm shop, where pumpkins are sold by weight. Well behaved dogs on leads are also welcome.
When you’ve collected your pumpkins, why not head over to The Swan with Two Necks just down the road, who do a wonderful three-course Sunday lunch, or the Sheet Anchor a little further away.
Woore Farm
Postcode: CW3 9RE
In Cheshire, Woore Farm is located just past Keele, and is one of the patches we visit each year for more than just pumpkins. In summer, it’s the perfect place to go strawberry and raspberry picking, too.
Woore’s patch is open throughout October from 9.30am to 5pm. The dog friendly patch is free entry with no booking necessary, with a sizable car park and toilets on site.
Visitors can also explore a Hansel and Gretal-themed Candyland or perch on the giant’s chair for some great snapshots, with the monster hunt making a grand return, too. And on Ocober 20, there will be a special spooky ‘pumpkin night’ from 6pm to 8pm. Tickets for this event cost £10 but include one medium pumpkin, with a trick-or-treat hunt with goodie bags for the children.
Pye Ash Farm
Postcode: SK11 0PN
Owned by the Gilman family for almost a century, now run by James Gilman, Pye Ash Farm is located just off the A523 in Bosley, Cheshire – around 30 minutes from Stoke-on-Trent, and 10 from Macclesfield. Open weekends throughout October from 10am to 4pm, Pye Ash Farm costs £8 per car to enter and can be booked online here.
This year they have over 30 different varieties of pumpkins to choose from which are all grown on site, with an indoor pumpkin maze and new for 2023 outdoor patch where you can pick straight from the field. Included in the price of the ticket are also sheepdog demonstations, tractor rides and various farm animals to meet, as well as face painting, where you can make a donation to East Cheshire Hospice.
Throughout the maze, there are dozens of photo opportunities for that Autumnal Instagram picture, whether that’s perching atop of a haystack with a pumpkin, or hopping in the tractor for a quick snap.
And since pumpkin picking is pretty hungry work, there are also locally sourced refreshments on offer during the event from Come Bye Horse Box & Giddy Up Mobile Events. These include farm fresh hot baps, Little Cow Shed milkshakes and lots of pumpkin treats, using Pye Ash pumpkins. Read more about our visit here.
Tunstall Farm Park
Postcode: ST20 0NH
Our most recent pumpkin visit for 2023 was Tunstall Farm Park in Woodseaves, hosted by the team at Wetley Moor Alpacas. Tickets cost £12.50 (under threes go free) and for this you get free parking, a pumpkin or hot drink, and a chance to meet the latest alpaca babies born earlier this year. There are plenty of photo opportunities, many of which involve the alpacas, as well as a petting shed which houses baby bunnies, guinea pigs, sheep and calves.
For the little ones, there’s also pumpkin and alpaca crafts and an outdoor plat area, as well as the pumpkin patch with over 5000 pumpkins to choose from, as well as sunflower heads that are available to take home free of charge so you can try your hand at growing your own.
We also paid an extra £10 to walk one of the young alpacas around the field and learn more about these gorgeous animals. It’s really lovely to have something like this closer to home after having such a great time in Twycross last year.
Be warned though, this patch, open weekends throughout October, gets booked up fast – so if you want to make a visit, you can book online here.
