Spilman's Farm
WHERE
Thirsk
What it’s like
Pick your own strawberries in summer, pumpkins in autumn, and a play barn to fall back on when you need a break.
Strawberry picking kicks off in early June, and it's the sort of job that gets a small child weirdly focused for twenty minutes at a time. By autumn the same fields turn over to the pumpkin festival, with tickets going live on the 1st of May, so if you want a specific weekend you'll want to sort that early rather than turn up hoping.
There's a Tulip Festival too, plus an indoor play barn and a climbing frame outside, which between them mean you're not entirely at the mercy of the picking season if the fruit's not ready or the pumpkins are picked over. The play barn is the one to save for when little legs give out after all that crouching in the strawberry rows.
Food's a proper draw here rather than an afterthought. The Stone Barn Cafe does wood-fired pizzas, brunch and lunch, home-baked pies and local produce like Haxby Bakehouse bread and Mount Grace Charcuterie bacon. It runs Wednesday to Sunday, though it's worth knowing the Wednesday and Thursday menu is a reduced one, with the full spread only from Friday.
The cafe and the pumpkin season both close down for stretches of the year and reopen together, so the site's opening pattern shifts with the seasons rather than staying the same all year round. During Pumpkin Festival itself, hours are 11am to 4pm midweek and 10am to 4pm at weekends, with the main pumpkin season running 9am to 5pm.
What’s on here
Facilities
Need to know
- Food
- Stone Barn Cafe with wood-fired pizzas, brunch and lunch menus, home-baked pies, sweet treats, snacks, ice creams, hot and cold drinks
- Parties
- Farm shop and play barn available for birthday parties and weddings
- Pumpkin tickets go on sale 1st May, so mark the date if you want a specific slot
- The site closes between seasons and reopens for the pumpkin festival on 26th September
- Cafe menu is smaller on Wednesdays and Thursdays, full menu Friday to Sunday
- There's also a Tulip Festival alongside the strawberry and pumpkin seasons
Plan your visit
When can we pick strawberries?
PYO strawberries open from early June, once the fruit's ready.
How do we get pumpkin festival tickets?
Tickets are released on the 1st of May. Grab them then if you want a particular date.
What are the opening hours?
Pumpkin season runs 9am to 5pm. During the festival itself it's 11am to 4pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 4pm at weekends.
Is the cafe open all year?
No, it runs April to end of August, then reopens for pumpkin season at the end of September. It's open Wednesday to Sunday, with a reduced menu on Wednesdays and Thursdays and the full menu from Friday.
What food is there?
The Stone Barn Cafe does wood-fired pizzas, brunches, lunches and home-baked pies, using local suppliers like Haxby Bakehouse and Carricks smoked kippers.
Is there anything to do if it's raining?
There's an indoor play barn as well as the outdoor climbing frame, so a wet day picking strawberries or pumpkins isn't a write-off.
Can we have a birthday party there?
The farm shop and play barn are available for birthday parties, and for weddings too.
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