Tuesday 17 November 2015

Middle Farm, Lewes, East Sussex

While on our venture to Brighton, we took a day trip to Middle Farm. The weather was a bit pants, but it is November and this is England! Once the Zebra was snug in her Regatta all-in-one and Hunter wellies, she was ready for the day and the puddles...
I have to say, we had a brilliant day! It had the right balance between real-working-farm and kids tourist attraction. At £4 per adult and under 3's free, it was also very well priced. There was lots of room to just run and play, and everywhere we went was full of free range ducks and chickens and birds 

Due to the weather we couldn't make the most of the outside play areas - but no trip to the farm is complete without a ride on a tractor 

There's no generic soft play here, instead there's a barn with hay bales stacked up to run, crawl, climb and hide in! It took a while for Zoe to work out how to walk on the springy floor, but once she found her feet she was off!

And no day out is complete without some peephole fun!
The first building we entered had some of the cutest fluffy bunnies you could imagine - along with guinea pigs and even more birds. At feeding time the staff put out a big tub of veggies for anyone to hand feed the animals. Or for toddlers to chew on. 
They also so a 'pat-a-pet' session where the fluffiest, friendliest bunnies come out for a cuddle. That was a major hit with the Zebra (and mummy!) 
Across from the pets was a big barn with yet more very friendly animals. There were llamas, sheep, goats, horses and the loudest donkey I've ever heard. And even more chickens! Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen so many birds in my life.
All the animals were clearly well look after, and they were happy and content. Many would come up to the sides looking for cuddles, which is perfect for a toddler who loves to stroke and pet the animals 

They also have a 'meet the sheep' session where two sheep are popped on a lead and taken outside. It was rather funny seeing a sheep taken on a walk, but they were more than happy to go along with it 
Next it was onto the pigs - after recently discovering the joys of Peppa, I expected big things. However, the Zebra was suitable unimpressed. We did get to feed them, although not by hand due to the size of their teeth. Scary things.
The cows were milked in the afternoon, but as we were there for the morning we missed out in that. But we did get lots of licks from some lovely young calves! 
No trip is complete without a visit to the tearoom for a spot of lunch. All the food is very farmy, hearty and tasty. A kids lunch box was huge and only £4. There was easily enough for two 18 month olds in one box. The tea room was in a lovely building and the Zebra was fascinated by the old beams.
There was also a lovely gift shop with lots of tradition wooden toys, along with the usual soft cuddlies. Zoe picked out a cute little brown pony to take home.
We can totally recommend a day here - it was enjoyed by all the family! It was well priced, well looked after and the staff were fantastic. It had all the basic you need and the loo's surprisingly warm and clean! Can only give Middle Farm a 5* rating