In a nutshell
The Field to Fork story at the revamped working farm at Tatton Park was opened for the summer holidays. The £1.3m attraction, in the grounds of the country estate, aims to reconnect families with where their food comes from by bringing to life Cheshire’s farming history through heritage and hands-on events. Costumed actors bring to life characters from the farm’s past and there’s a mill, maize maze (seasonal) and farm machines to explore, too. The attraction includes a rare-breeds farm, play barn and woodland trail for little ones, plus visitors can swot up on agricultural skills, such as cheese-making and beekeeping. The Tatton estate also has a stately home, gardens and a deer park.
Fun fact
Rare-breed animals take centre stage here, including the intriguingly named Yokohama long-tailed fowl and heritage-breed Silver Spangled Hamburg chickens. The farm has an adopt-an-animal scheme, which costs £20 a year, and helps towards conservation of its rare breed animals.
Best things about it
Actually, the highlight is a visit to a Horrible Histories-style explanation of the slaughter process, where the opening salvo is a projected image of a pig hanging upside down from a winch. It’s a way of explaining how parts of animals are used for different products and the importance of good animal husbandry. It’s handled sensitively, with a focus on the educational aspect, rather than shock value, and set out the facts clearly. My two daughters found it more thought-provoking than upsetting.
What about lunch?
The Stables restaurant is self-service and has hot and cold snacks, and children’s lunch boxes (from £4.50) which can be filled with five items, including sandwiches, fresh fruit, cheese strips, yoghurt, crisps, cookies and fruit juice. The Gardener’s Cottage in the Victorian walled garden is more upmarket and serves posh afternoon teas (from £16.95pp), using estate-sourced produce. Better still, bring your own picnic to the farm, stocking up on local produce en route.
Exit through the gift shop?
There’s a small range on a farming theme, including toy tractors (£3.99), fluffy toy pigs (£10.95) and kids’ wellies (£8.50). A copy of Wisdom for Hen Keepers – 500 tips for Keeping Chickens was on sale for £4.99.
Getting there
It’s signposted from junction 10 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 in east Cheshire. It’s a 2½-mile walk from Knutsford railway station.
Value for money?
It’s not the cheapest day out, with vehicle entry to the park costing £7 (free to walkers and cyclists), plus entry to the farm (adult £7, child £5, family £19, under 4s free) on top. A combined “Totally Tatton Ticket” costs £33 a family (two adults, three children) with entry to The farm, stately home and gardens but excluding parking.
Opening hours
The farm is open Tuesday to Sunday (plus bank holidays), noon to 5pm (last entry 4pm). The park is open daily from 10am to 7pm.
Verdict
7 out of 10. Not cheap but it does offer a combination of educational attractions and great-outdoors exploration. Best of all, it sensitively handles introducing kids to the concept of provenance.
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