As we delve into summer, enjoying the warm sunshine and fresh air, we’ve got our sights set a little closer to the ground…the glimpses of bright red through the greenery, bursts of white amongst the shrubs, and pockets of green peeping up at us from the floor can only mean one thing…Kent’s beautiful, fresh food is ready to be picked! Abundant, delicious produce is right around every corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to get a taste of the county at its best right in the height of the season. Ready to be blown away by the delights you can find right on your doorstep? We’ve got just the spots for you and the family to fuel up on, from pick your own farms to DIY foraging. They don’t call us the Garden of England for nothing!
Pick Your Own
Broomfield Farm
This family run farm is the perfect spot for those looking to get their five-a-day fix. Open on weekends from mid-June to October, you and the family (even the four-legged members!) can visit, collecting an abundance of fresh fruit and veg as you stroll through the scenic land, before ending the afternoon with a sit down for tea and a slice of homemade cake at the White Finch Tea Rooms.
Mockbeggar Farm Shop
For a true farm to fork experience, the Mockbeggar Farm Shop in Medway offers a whole range of flavourful, fresh produce. From strawberries and cherries to plums and rhubarb, they’ve got just about everything for you to fill those fruit bowls with. In the summer months, be sure to plan a trip over and pick them for yourself, getting back to nature in the best way possible.
Maze Moon
The kiddos will love you for this one…a day of adventure awaits, fit with a space themed maize maze, an alien mini maze, and games a plenty, right here at the Maze Moon in Gillingham. As they spend the day chasing through mazes and solving puzzles, you can stroll through picturesque fields and, from July until the end of August, you can pick your own sunflowers and sweetcorn. Bring the cameras – a truly picturesque day awaits!
Milebush Farm
On the outskirts of Maidstone, in the beautiful Kentish countryside, you can find all of your local produce dreams come true. Here at Milebush Farm, you can dig your own potatoes, pick strawberries, raspberries, apples, plums - the fun carries on right through to pumpkin picking in October!
Chilton Manor Farm
Nestled within the beautiful Kent countryside near Sittingbourne, Chilton Manor Farm is at the top of our list for an amazing day out – pick succulent strawberries, ripe raspberries, or sample some of the other deliciousness grown at the farm. No need to book, just come along and bask in the locally grown deliciousness of the farm’s crops.
Lower Hardres Farm Shop
Just outside the historically charming city of Canterbury, sitting on the edge of the Kent Downs National Landscape, you’ll find the Lower Hardres Farm Shop. Stocked with fresh fruit and veg from the farm and meats from the in-house butcher, you can fill your fridge with peace of mind, knowing exactly where your food has come from. Plus, you can also pick your own produce from the farm, keeping pesticides and food miles to a minimum!
Lower Laysden Farm
The award-winning farm shop at Lower Laysden Farm awaits you and the family this summer. Get the kids out in the great outdoors as you spend the day walking through nature, picking your own food, and (most importantly) eating the gloriously fresh and nutritious delights! Treat yourselves even more and stop off at the nearby Goudhurst Inn, where you can treat your tastebuds even more with a range of locally and lovingly made dishes in Cranbrook’s fantastic gastro-pub.
Stonepitts Farm
A common household name in the area since the 1800s, Stonepitts Farm first became known as a major hops and fruit growing enterprise, sending produce up to London by horse and carriage! Today, while you probably don’t have to get there by the same transport, we do recommend sampling the products that made them so famous in the first place. Head along and pick your own strawberries, raspberries, and even stay a little while to enjoy live music events held throughout the summer.
Forage
Jack Raven Bushcraft
Spark the little ones’ interest this year with a trip to Jack Raven Bushcraft, an experience like no other set 60 acres of beautiful broadleaf woodland. Foraging courses will take you on a trip throughout the area, leaving you with the knowledge of what you can eat, where you can eat it, and why you should eat it! Fun, practical, and healthy knowledge awaits…
Forth and Forage
With tailored talks and walks, themed group tours, and community collaborations, the work at Forth and Forage is promoting healthy, happy, and sustainable living for those in Kent. Join Amy Hitchcock as she takes you on a tour through Herne Bay and beyond, giving you a run down of the local delicacies you can find growing all around. All are welcome, so book in today for a magnificent tailored experience for you and the family.
Dr Forager
Get back to nature and learn about the food that’s quite literally right under your nose. During the 2-2.5 hour walk along the Margate seafront, Dr Forager (aka Hannah Scott) will provide you with knowledge on all things edible that grow on the coastline. Discover which seaweed you can snack on before diving into a foraged plant preparation workshop, finishing up the session with a lunch made from your picked plants!
Snacking in Sittingbourne
Deep dive into the world of edible plants and fungi with foraging-expert Michael White, born and raised in the countryside and here to spread the knowledge on all things ready-to-eat in the wild. Begin the informative 3-hour course at the Plough Inn in Sittingbourne, taking a circular walk through the local area, spotting what you can eat in the woods, fields, and beyond. End your journey back at the pub, where you and the kids can fuel yourself with some delicious lunch after a day of adventure and learning.
Culinary and coastal
Championing the foraging movement since the 90s in France, innovative chef and foraging expert Lucia Stuart has all the know-how when it comes to eating locally, seasonally, and naturally. Come along to one of the courses, whether you’re shucking oysters where you found them or munching on some seaweed straight from the water! Learn how to transform and fully utilise the landscape you live in, to do your bit for your mind, body, and the planet!
Stay the night
The Lookout, Walmer
Fancy staying just down the road from Kent’s biggest PYO Farm? Keepers Cottages' The Lookout in Walmer sits just a 10-minute drive from Felderland Farm, where you can pick your own cherries and strawberries, with the knowledge that you’re not only doing your body good, but the planet too. Sustainable packaging, low food waste and food miles, and promoting diversity is at the heart of the farm – now that’s something to take a trip to Kent for. Grab your favourite fruits and veggies, have a bite to eat and drink at the coffee shop, and let the little ones adventure around the play area. With so much to see and do in the area, you might need a couple nights’ stay to truly experience the Kentish coastline.
Links Bay, Deal
Did someone say golf course? That’s right, Keepers Cottages' Links Bay in Deal is the perfect spot for all you families with a golfer in the midst, with Royal Cinques Ports Golf Club just minutes away. And for those who aren’t quite so interested in the green, fear not – the deep blue awaits at Deal Beach! Pack a picnic, grab those swimming goggles, and leave some space for foraging as, right on the seafront, you can top off your lunch with wild berries, wild garlic, and wild asparagus.
