Last year was our first time going to pick our own pumpkin and Max loved it so much he asked to do it again! I was amazed that he’d remembered doing it, but since I loved it too, how could I refuse? We usually head to Garson’s PYO farm in Esher for things like this, but I’d heard great things about Pickwell Farm in Hampshire, so we decided to make a trip of it and head down.

We arrived and it was clear that pumpkin picking has now become a big hit in this country - it was really busy! We collected our wheelbarrow from the entrance and wheeled our way out to the field. I loved the little walk out there, with signs directing you to the pumpkins - it made it feel more like an adventure! (Although we did regret the distance when Max announced later that he needed a wee…)

I love picking pumpkins directly from the field rather than having them laid out for you, so Pickwell Farm is perfect for this. But I also loved that they’d cleared the field that they directed you to pick from of most of the foliage already, which made it easier to spot the perfect pumpkin, but also much better for photos!

Max loved the hunt for the perfect pumpkin - he found a few with slugs on, which were quickly discounted, but eventually we picked out 3 big pumpkins and a little Max sized one. I love that little look on his face as he’s holding his pumpkin!

Piling them up in the wheelbarrow and wheeling them off was as much fun as it had been picking them! As we wheeled them back, we passed a field full of sweetcorn and we took the opportunity to head into the maze to pick a few. A good 10 minutes later, Max and his Daddy emerged with three perfect corns in hand and Max undertook the very serious job of putting them into the wheelbarrow too.

On the walk back from the sweetcorn field, Max clearly took his lead from some of the other kids he’d seen and was ‘too tired to walk’, so just had to be wheeled back in the wheelbarrow with all our pickings. Unsurprisingly, that perked him up quite a lot!