Blame the ubiquitous 1970s revival, the foodies, the homesteaders, the Fall-obsessed North Americans. But whatever or whoever’s driving the russet-hued mood, autumnal PYO (pick-your-own) trips are back with a bang.
And while PYO fruit and veg has certain family-friendly connotations, it’s not *only* parents with berry-loving toddlers who are hitting the fields to collect a self-harvested bounty. From plump bright orange pumpkins to crisp cider apples, the season’s hottest accessory for cool DINKs (that’s dual income, no kids) and solo travellers is a niche variety of rare produce, harvested in a bucolic setting (preferably the biodynamic grounds of a luxury historic estate).
These are the very best pick-your-own breaks, in the UK and abroad. Whichever one you choose, the experience will bring you closer to your food, closer to the land and closer to the people who tend it. Most importantly, it guarantees a delicious meal will be part of your stay.
Pumpkin picking in South Wales
Nothing says #fallvibes like an elaborate doorstep pumpkinscape, a decorative al fresco assemblage of colourful squashes ranging from the perfectly orange and spherical to the knotted, knobbly and warty. And for pumpkin selection perfection — as well as the chance to get out into the wild and breathe in the fresh air — a day out at 2,500-acre Penllyn Estate, near Cowbridge, delivers.
Amid a vast landscape crowned by a castle, its Forage Farm is home not only to bountiful patches of orange roundels where you can pick to your heart’s content, but other autumnal fun such as a corn maze, tractor trailer rides and a rodeo-style ‘bucking pumpkin’ for littles. There’s meet-and-greets with pygmy goats and kids, and face-painting too. £10 per car. penllynestate.co.uk
While you’re there… Pop into the award-winning Forage Farm Shop and Kitchen, selling their own Penllyn Estate-reared beef, lamb and pork, plus boutiquey Welsh bites.
Stay: Cowbridge Cabins on the estate has Hobbit-style pods with wooden accents and kitchenettes, sleeping a family of four to six, from £100 per night (cowbridgecabins.co.uk). Cosy up together and practice your pumpkin-carving for Halloween.
Or why not try... Down Hall Estate in Essex is running Pumpkin Patch Staycations from 17-19 and 21-31 October, including pumpkin picking at Cammas Hall. From £269, downhall.co.uk
Mushroom Foraging in Deeside
‘Foraging’ sounds fairly fancy but it’s really just pick-your-own with a wilder spin. Autumn dampness brings with it a glut of seasonal mushrooms — the perfect foraging fodder — but to engage you’ll need tutelage from an expert guide who can show you which ones are safe to pick and eat. Expert naturalist David Winnard is just the man, and at Hawardan Estate in Deeside — home to an extensive walled garden, farm shop, pub, bakery and historic buildings aplenty — he runs masterclasses on the topic.
Over a half-day course on 19 October (£45) you’ll learn how to tell your turkeytails and shaggy parasols from your hairy curtain crusts and oakbug milkcaps. thewalledgardenschool.co.uk
While you’re there… Pop into estate pub The Glynne Arms, a 200-year-old drinking hole, for a pint of the estate pale ale, brewed by Llandudno’s Wild Horse Brewing Co.
Stay: Nestled on the estate by the Victorian Walled Garden, the quaint (and dog-friendly) Beekeeper’s Hut sleeps two overlooking Hawarden Castle and ancient fruit trees. Use the outdoor cooker to whip up (David-approved) garlicky mushrooms on toast before tucking into a s’mores hamper from the farm shop.
Or why not try... The Foraging Course Company holds hundreds of fungi courses a year, in counties ranging from Cambridgeshire to Worcestershire. foragingcoursecompany.co.uk
Apples in Devon
There are supermarket apples and then there are Fowlescombe Farm apples, plucked from 16th-century orchards planted to accompany the 450-acre regenerative farm’s manor house — built in 1537. In September and October hotel guests can help themselves to a selection of ripe fruit, which estate executive chef Elly Wentworth will whip up into dishes like Devon apple cake and baked apple compote. There may even be an appletini or cider too, for the grown-ups; meanwhile, any kiddos can decorate their own toffee apples. But, whatever your age, you can also collect some for feeding to the adorable Tamworth pigs.
While you’re there… Join a garden tour with head gardener Shelly to pick culinary goodies for pickling and preserving, whether cucamelon, rosehip or fennel.
Stay: The 10-room on-site hotel blends wood-beamed barn-like ceilings with grained natural woods, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking greenery and sink-in seats in stony-hued fabrics that soothe and calm. Mattresses contain wool from their own flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep. From £410 including meals and activities. fowlescombe.com
Also try: A ‘cyder’ making workshop — covering the basics from picking to crushing — at luxury farm hotel The Newt in Somerset, on 1 or 9 October (£150, thenewtinsomerset.com). Ensure you’ve factored in time to wander the sheep-dotted orchards too.
Grapes in Kent
Grape picking doesn’t quite work like standard pick-your-own, because at the end of the day in the vines you usually have to leave them behind. The good news? When you come back you get to enjoy them as a whole different form: as delicious English wine.
Get stuck into the great British winemaking at family-owned Wayfarer Wines in Woodchurch, where you can help pick grapes for their vino for a few hours before enjoying a free ploughman’s lunch. From 9:30 until 12:30 on 20th September, you can help out harvesting the vines, then you’ll get to return in spring as a VIP to sip the bottles you helped to make. wayfarerwines.com
While you’re there… Tour other Kent wineries. You might not always be able to help with the harvest but seeing the grapes arrive for crushing is still quite the thrill. Gusbourne, Chapel Down and Balfour are all nearby.
Stay: Nearby Oxney Organic winery in the High Weald AONB has shepherd’s huts and converted barns available for hire, overlooking their own vineyards. From £320, oxneyestate.com
Or why not try... A fully-fledged abroad harvest holiday in the Douro Valley, stomping grapes from the scenic terraced vineyards that will go into making fortified wine Port. You’ll stay at family-run Quinta da Pacheca and can sleep in a wine barrel-styled suite. Seven nights with flights from £919 per person, sunvil.co.uk
Truffles in Wiltshire
While they’re perhaps more synonymous with Italy or France, truffles can be found right here in Britain — and in counties including Dorset, Surrey or Wiltshire you can join an expert-led hunting experience that lets you unearth the black culinary diamonds. Run by the English Truffle Company, the autumn expeditions include an introductory chat about the prized fungi, a two-hour search through woods with an esteemed truffle hound and a slap up lunch featuring truffle-laced delights.
For an even more exclusive experience — and to follow in the footsteps of culinary queen Mary Berry, who’s done the same — plan a private truffle hunt at their secret location in Somerset. £195, englishtruffles.co.uk
While you’re there… Plump for the Wiltshire location, near Salisbury, and you can extend your stay into a gorgeously autumnal weekend in the New Forest. Take in the spectacular changing leaves at Rhinefield Ornamental Drive and spot stout ponies rustling through piles of golden leaves.
Stay: The Montagu Arms is gorgeously coddling, with its wood-panelled dining room, classic furnishings and delicate afternoon teas. From £200. montaguarmshotel.co.uk
Or why not try... Uniworld’s Burgundy & Provence river cruise includes a visit to a family-owned truffle farm, where you’ll join a farmer and truffle dogs on a hunt for the precious edibles. The seven-night all-inclusive cruising itinerary costs from £2,999 per person. uniworld.com
