If one thing could beckon me out of the house (and away from the comfort of my sofa!) at seven weeks postpartum, it had to be the promise of Strawberry Fields Farm Shop and their enchanting field of 'pick-your-own' tulips.
Nestled amidst the picturesque countryside, Strawberry Fields in Lifton is an old favourite of mine from when I lived just over the Devon/Cornwall border in neighbouring Launceston. Well-loved by families, food enthusiasts and nature lovers alike, this award-winning spot offers a restaurant, coffee lounge, deli, butchery, farm shop and artisan bakery, as well as a calendar of fun seasonal events.
Speaking of which, when I saw they were bringing back their popular 'Pick Your Own Tulips' event this year, I knew such a friendly location and cute event would make a sweet outing for us as a new little family.
When we visited a few weekends ago, the car park was PACKED and I started to worry that the whole experience would be a nightmare. To be fair, we had chosen to rock up on a Saturday lunchtime (!) and suddenly our wild optimism in bringing a fussy newborn to a sold-out event in a muddy field seemed like the stupidest idea in the world.
Fearing the worst (and already bracing ourselves for a quick exit) we bundled Pippa into her sling, grabbed our massively overpacked changing bag and headed for the entrance.
Buoyed on by the pretty selection of pre-picked tulips that greeted us at the door, we headed to the tills and bought our ticket for the PYO event (£6 for 8 blooms, £10 for 16). There was also the opportunity to 'rent' a pair of scissors in exchange for a £5 deposit but we'd come prepared with our own - my prized pink Bloom and Wild botanical shears that Jack was only too happy to pose with (!)
Walking up to the tulip field, we were pleasantly surprised to see there was only a smattering of other visitors trudging up and down, scissors in hand. I was still feeling slightly nervous about how Pippa was doing in her sling at this point (and whether we had an imminent meltdown on our hands!) so it was a relief to know we wouldn't have too much of an audience if things took a turn.
It was a real treat to be able to wander up and down the field, choosing the colours and shapes we liked the most and stowing them away into our own bouquet. Miraculously, Pippa slept the entire time (with me only anxiously checking on her every five seconds or so!) so we managed to snap a few photos and even had a kind lady offer to take our first photo as a little family sitting on the tulip swing. How sweet is that?
It was such a lovely trip out - offering a perfect escape from the messy, milky bubble of newborn life! We certainly felt refreshed after stopping for lunch in the on-site restaurant and heading back to the car with our fresh bunch of blooms in one hand and the extra treat of a farm shop lemon drizzle in the other.
I was so glad we chose this outing as one of our first little trips as a family. As a new mum, I was ridiculously nervous about how we were going to handle changing or feeding Pippa out in the wild...or, heaven forbid, how we'd cope if she started crying and we couldn't calm her down! Thankfully, we had nothing to worry about as the whole experience was made so much easier by such a well-organised event and some great facilities on hand.
I made a note of all the parent-friendly bits we came across during our visit, something I'm hoping to do for every trip going forward so that I can give my honest review for other parents!
Baby-Friendly Bonuses:
- Ample parking
- Wide, pram-friendly aisles in the shop, cafe & restaurant
- Changing facilities
- Ella's Kitchen pouches available to buy from the farm shop
- Children's Menu and highchairs in the restaurant
- Sofas in the cafe that looked comfy for feeding
- Outside play area
- Cute baby bits in the gift shop!
Where should we try next? Let us know in the comments below!
In the meantime,
with love,
Siân
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