Lin's Veg Shed, Tolhurst Organic Farm Shop
ENTRY
from £9
WHERE
Reading
What it’s like
Wander the fields to see organic veg growing, then pick produce and catch the children's activities at seasonal farm events.
This is a working organic farm shop, and the appeal is watching where your dinner actually comes from. Kids can walk the fields and see vegetables growing, then at the seasonal farm events there's produce to pick, a bouncy castle, live music and children's activities laid on. Under 12s go free to these events, which makes the £9 online ticket (£12 on the gate) feel less steep once you factor in a family.
The farm's held Soil Association organic status for over 30 years and it shows in how they run things, right down to a completely animal-free growing system using green manure instead of muck. That's a nice thing to explain to a curious eight-year-old poking about the beds. It won't hold a toddler's attention for long, but for a child who likes knowing how things grow, it's a proper look behind the scenes.
Saturdays bring a pop-up café doing plant-based savoury food, cake and drinks, so you're not stuck bringing your own if you time it right. Parking is limited and it's a private car park for customers only, so turning up in a rush at a busy weekend event isn't ideal. The farm itself is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm, with Thursdays running from 1pm, and the site mentions the best stock of produce tends to be after lunchtime rather than first thing.
Dogs are allowed on lead at the farm events if you fancy bringing one along, and picnics are fine if the café queue looks long. It's not a big flashy day out, more a straightforward one where the vegetables are the entertainment.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Limited parking on site, private car park for customers only
- Food
- Saturday pop-up café with seasonal plant-based savoury food, cake and drinks
- Dogs
- Allowed on lead and under owners' supervision at farm events
- Best produce stock tends to be after lunchtime rather than first thing in the morning
- Parking is limited and for customers only, so allow extra time on event days
- Under 12s go free to the farm events with the bouncy castle and activities
- Saturday café food is plant-based, including the cake
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
Farm event tickets are £9 booked online or £12 on the gate. Under 12s get in free to these events.
Is there anywhere to eat?
There's a Saturday pop-up café with plant-based savoury food, cake and drinks. Picnics are allowed if you'd rather bring your own.
What are the opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm, with Thursdays starting later at 1pm.
Is parking easy?
Parking on site is limited and reserved for customers only, so it can be tight on a busy event day.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, dogs are allowed on lead at farm events as long as you keep them under supervision.
What do kids actually do there?
They can see vegetables growing in the fields and pick produce at the seasonal events, which also bring children's activities, a bouncy castle and live music.
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