‘I explored a Colchester pumpkin patch that’s also a celeb hotspot’

Pumpkins have always been the essence of autumn and Halloween as people carve scary faces for trick-or-treating or drink it as a flavoured spice latte.

Pumpkin vegetable patches have been opening lately for people to hunt down the biggest and most impressive pumpkins to celebrate the spooky season.

One patch, in particular, that has set the standard of growing the Jack-O-Latern component are Foxes Farm Produce.

Read more:Halloween events in and around Essex

The award-winning wholesalers have been growing and delivering pumpkins all across the nation for over 10 years, and opened their first patch on Essex soil in 2015.

Since then, they’ve been attracting thousands of visitors to their Basildon and Colchester farms.

They also managed to attract a celebrity following with guest appearances from Stacey Solomon, stars from TOWIE and Allison Hammond when it appeared on ITV‘s This Morning.

The patches have more than 15 pumpkin varieties to choose from, and acres of fields to cover.

People can currently explore the breadths of its patch but they must book in advance.

Reporter Arike Adris had the pleasure to be given a full tour of their Colchester farm.

Sign up to the EssexLive newsletter

If you’re looking for a way to stay up-to-date with the latest breaking news from around Essex, the EssexLive newsletter is a good place to start.

The twice-daily update will deliver the top news and features to your inbox every morning and evening.

We choose the most important stories of the day to include in the newsletter, including crime, court news, long reads, traffic and travel, food and drink articles and more.

Signing up to the newsletter is simple. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address.

It’s one of the many ways that you can read the news that matters to you from EssexLive.

What was it like trekking through the fields?

Finding the Colchester farm was relatively easy. Once I turned into a country lane off of Halstead Road, I saw their pumpkin patch banner 100m away.

Co-owner Emily French greeted me, and we entered into a massive field with welcome banners.

There were designated spots where you could get wheelbarrows to carry the pumpkins.

Once I got my bearings, I was led through into a vast pumpkin field – it felt like it was a whole new world.

For the best things to do in your area, type your postcode below.

The field was so easy to walk through, and had so many frames and apparatus for people to have fun with.

Children will love this place especially, with the photo frames the farm has scattered in the acres of land providing extra entertainment.

The soil was hard, and I didn’t sink into it as I trekked through the farm, which I was happy about considering I wasn’t wearing the most appropriate footwear.

The pumpkins were spread out, but some were clustered in areas or in wooden crates.

Sign at the pumpkin patch at Foxes Farm Produce, Colchester
Sign at the pumpkin patch at Foxes Farm Produce, Colchester
(Image: EssexLive)

Because of this, I didn’t have to worry about squashing one or stepping in the mess of a crushed one.

Also, despite my worries, I was pleased to see that there weren’t any bugs flying or crawling around the pumpkins, or over my head.

I have to say that was the biggest relief of my experience.

It was great to see that Foxes Farm Produce managed to keep the farm so well-maintained, with the easy pathways and trimmed plants, as well as the pumpkins looking so healthy as they had no bugs infesting over it.

The pumpkins definitely come in different shapes and sizes, with some being too big and heavy to carry.

I was in awe when I saw the pumpkins in the middle of the field as some were twice the size of my arm.

Reporter Arike Idris with a pumpkin at Foxes Farm Produce
Reporter Arike Idris with a pumpkin at Foxes Farm Produce
(Image: EssexLive)

The further you go down the farm, the larger the pumpkins.

At one point, I had to roll a pumpkin on the frame and rest it there because it was too heavy.

All in all, it was very entertaining to explore and although it looked like something predominately targeting children, adults can still enjoy the scenery and the japes associated with a big day out.

Sadly, I didn’t bump into an A-listers, but it was still a brilliant day out.

Get the latest Essex news direct to you inbox by signing up to our free newsletter

Essex Live – What’s On

Be the first to comment on "‘I explored a Colchester pumpkin patch that’s also a celeb hotspot’"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*