Grove Farm PYO is a pick your own farm in Ivinghoe, Leighton Buzzard that has been in business for over 40 years.
For years I’ve seen people visit and pick their own seasonal fruit and veg (mostly strawberries!) and always wanted to go – so this year, we did! And I’m so glad, because it was even more fun than I expected; so much so that we went two days in a row!
If you’re looking to go strawberry picking yourself, or to get any other seasonal fruit and veg, I would highly recommend Grove Farm PYO. Here’s a little run down of what you can expect!
Grove Farm PYO – Getting to the farm
If you’re travelling to Grove Farm PYO from out of the area, pop the following address into your satnav: Grove Farm, Great Gap, Ivinghoe, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9DZ. You can’t miss the entrance to the farm, as it’s got two giant inflatable strawberries outside!
Drive down a long dirt track and you’ll get to the farm, where you can park for free on their field. When it’s dry, it’s all quite flat and accessible – but the same can’t be said for when it’s wet and muddy!
The farm is open from June until the middle of October (approximately), Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm (last entry is 5pm) and 9am – 1pm on Sundays (last entry is 12pm). You can find a timetable for what’s in season when right here.
You are free to walk into the farm, there’s no entry cost at all. All you pay for is your fruit at the end, which I think is brilliant.
You can grab a wheelbarrow from the entrance, which is great for putting your produce on – or a tired kiddy that doesn’t want to walk anymore!
Grove Farm PYO – Packaging
The farm strongly encourage you to bring your own packaging and containers from home. You really can bring whatever to pop your fruit and veg in. On our first trip, we brought a lunch box. Second time round, we brought a basket that Jett used for his Easter egg hunt. You can bring old fruit punnets, plastic bags, whatever!
This is a great initiative for a number of reasons. Firstly, you’re not using more plastic than necessary, which is good for the environment. Secondly, it’s free to bring your own packaging. Thirdly, for every bit of packaging a customer brings from home, Grove Farm PYO donate to the various charities they support. You can find out more about that here.
If you bring your own packaging from home, make sure you weigh it at the entrance! That way, the weight of your packaging can be taken off your total price when your produce is weighed at the end.
If you can’t bring your own packaging, or forget, don’t worry – you can purchase various sized containers at the entrance. A basket will cost £1, and a plastic punnet or compostable bag will cost you 10p.
Grove Farm PYO – Picking!
There are plenty of fruits and veg on offer to pick, including strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, parsley, beetroot, carrots, broad beans, courgettes, green onions and new potatoes. You can find a full list of what is in season when right here.
Everything is charged by the kilogram, and prices are available online and displayed at the entrance.
The fields don’t have any shade at all, so it’s vital that you wear appropriate clothing, plenty of sun cream and a sun hat. On warm days, it feels particularly hot out there!
For strawberry picking, you don’t need any equipment. You may wish to wear gloves, as you will get strawberry stained fingers, but it’s not necessary. For things like potatoes, you’ll need to bring your own spades.
When we visited, it was in the heatwave, so we wore light summer clothing. However, the official guidance from Grove Farm is to wear long sleeved tops and long legged clothing to protect yourself from insects and plants that may scratch or sting you.
Other useful info
You do not need to pre-book to visit the farm, and you can stay there for as long as you like – I truly love this! No pressure to arrive or leave, just space to enjoy yourselves.
There are toilets available on site, but they’re nothing fancy, just three portaloos. One of these is more of an ‘accessible’ toilet as it is wider than a standard portaloo and has handles inside.
Speaking of accessibility, the farm is accessible for prams and wheelchair users but only when the weather has been good and the ground is dry. Wheelchair users won’t be able to get into the rows of plants to pick, but they can pick from along the edges. However, when it’s muddy and wet, the ground is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs.
You can’t bring your own food for a picnic, and you can’t bring dogs with you (other than registered guide dogs).
At the entry kiosk, there are drinks, ice lollies and ice creams available to buy. You can also purchase other farm goods, including honey and duck eggs.
Is it worth a visit?
I would say absolutely yes! I really didn’t think strawberry picking would be as fun as it turned out to be. However, there is honestly nothing better than finding a particularly large and ripe strawberry ready for picking buried beneath the leaves. It’s like the best kind of treasure hunt! And really, nothing screams summer more than your little one’s strawberry stained fingers and cheeks from where they’ve hunted down berries and then secretly scoffed them instead of putting them in the basket.
A classic British summer time activity, children of all ages will enjoy picking their own fruit and veg as much as adults will! Plus the value for money is brilliant. You really get ten times more for your money than you would at a supermarket, and it all tastes much better too!
I only have one area for improvement – I wish they had children’s wheelbarrows! Jett loves a wheelbarrow and insisted we take one of the big ones. However, it was obviously too heavy for him to use and we ended up pushing it along instead. In hindsight, this was great, as we could plonk Jett in it, but it would have been brilliant to have some little ones available for children too.
I loved visiting Grove Farm PYO and will definitely be visiting again and again until they close… and then all over again next year too!
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