How to make the most of pumpkin season in London
Picking and carving pumpkins: follow our well-rounded guide to achieving your squash goals
Autumn is here! Which means the nights are getting longer, the days are getting crisper and plump orange orbs are starting to pop up around London. Yep, pumpkin season is upon us, but these spherical squashes aren’t just for Halloween. Don’t sit in your kitchen spooning soggy pumpkin innards from your supermarket-bought specimen for one night of trick or treating. From pumpkin-picking in countryside patches to hunting for the orange veggies on autumnal walks, there are plenty of ways to achieve your squash goals this year. Here are our favourite activities you can do to make the most of pumpkin season 2020.
RECOMMENDED: Halloween in London.
Pumpkin picks for Halloween 2020
1. Crockford Bridge Farm
Make your way to west Surrey for a day of squash selection at Crockford Bridge Farm. Pick-your-own fruit season has come to an end, making way for the great pumpkin harvest. The patch at Crockbridge is crowded with everything from atlantic giants to munchkin-style ghost pumpkins, so you’ll have a whole mismatched family of jack-o’-lanterns in the making. Remember, never carry your squash by the stalk or you’ll be explaining a pumpkin-related foot injury in A&E.
New Haw Rd, KT15 2BU. Pumpkin picking weekends: Fri Oct 9 (noon-3pm), Sat Oct 10 and Sun Oct 11 (10am-5pm). Pumpkin Festival: Oct 17-31.
2. Pumpkin Carving at The Cauldron Magical Cocktail Experience
Booze and sharp objects aren’t the wisest of combos, but The Cauldron is throwing caution to the wind with a series of cocktail-fuelled pumpkin-sculpting seshes. The bar already has the Halloween atmosphere down, with each guest receiving a ‘Harry Potter’-style robe and magic wand on entry and cocktails created like magical potions. Tickets to this event get you a shelled-out pumpkin ready for cutting and a mug of The Cauldron’s signature HallowCream. Maybe hold off on a second glass if you don’t want to get half-cut.
26 Greek St. Oct 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov 1. 45-minute sessions run from 11am-8pm and start at £14.99.
Venue says WE HAVE NOW REOPENED FOR SOCIAL-DISTANCE FRIENDLY POTION CLASSES! BOOK ONLINE https://thecauldron.io/london/potions
3. Stanhill Farm
Run by brothers Toby and Max Williams, this 150-acre farm grows 20 to 30 varieties of fruit and vegetables. Now autumn is upon us, the farm’s pumpkins are getting plump and juicy and will soon be ready to harvest.
Birchwood Road, DA2 7HD. Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01322 669711 or www.stanhillfarm.co.uk.
4. Garsons Farm
Note: A PYO Farm Pass is required to enter the farm and must be booked in advance.
The Thompson family have been running this Surrey farm as a pick-your-own for nearly 35 years. It’s a bigger operation than most, with its own restaurant, farm shop and garden centre, so you don’t have to do too much planning (though it’s a much easier day out if you have a car). Its pumpkins are ready for picking now. It’s £4 entry, which will be taken off your ‘pay-and-weigh’ bill at the end.
Winterdown Rd, KT10 8LS. Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01372 464389 or www.garsons.co.uk.
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