Staffordshire farm invites families to pick their own vegetables

Families are being invited to get hands-on with the harvest at a Staffordshire farm, where children can head into the fields and pick their own vegetables to take home.

Lower Drayton Farm, near Penkridge, is holding its annual Harvest Hoedown at its PLAY@ attraction, giving visitors the chance to see crops growing and learn more about how food gets from the field to the dinner table.

Families can take a tractor and trailer ride out to the growing fields, where they can pick seasonal produce including carrots, potatoes, courgettes, beetroot and sweetcorn.

The event has returned for a third year, with courgettes among the new crops available in 2026.

Farm manager Richard said the experience was designed to give children a better understanding of where their food comes from.

He said: "We've had government officials visit the farm who haven't known how potatoes grow, so if we can give children that understanding from an early age, we're giving them a great start."

Families are encouraged to pick vegetables of different shapes and sizes and take them home to cook.

Richard said: "We're used to seeing produce in supermarkets after it's been graded, sorted and packed, so children can think that every potato, carrot or courgette comes out of the ground looking exactly the same."

He said the farm had also enjoyed welcoming families from different backgrounds, with visitors sharing different ways of cooking and using the crops.

"Food is something that brings people together," he added. "We've loved seeing families from so many different backgrounds out in the fields."

The farm has teamed up with farmer and food blogger Milly Fyfe of No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents, who has created recipes using the seasonal vegetables, including spaghetti bolognese with "secret" courgette.

Harvest Hoedown runs at PLAY@ Lower Drayton Farm on selected dates until Monday, September 21.