Pumpkin Picking at Bennetts Willow Barn

The field here is homegrown and genuinely working, weeds and all, on a family farm on the edge of Worcester. Pumpkin leaves can be prickly, so the farm suggests gloves alongside the usual wellies and trousers, which tells you the sort of picking to expect.

What comes with entry is a longer list than the field alone: picking your own pumpkin, photo backdrops, carving in the polytunnel, feeding the leftovers to the farm's pigs, a mini digger and tractor gravel pit, pumpkin skittles, a mini craft activity for children and the use of wheelbarrows.

At weekends the Thirsty Farmer horse trailer sells drinks, cakes and freshly baked pizzas under a new stretch tent, and marshmallows for the fire pit are available; none of that is included in the ticket. The farm cafe is open daily and can be booked for breakfast or lunch either side of your slot.

Your booking slot is an arrival time rather than the whole of your visit, and once you are in you can stay until closing, with last entry half an hour before the end. Prices change by date, with early season weekends, peak weekends, weekdays and half term all charged differently, and the figure for your session is shown before you confirm.

On 23 and 30 October the field reopens after dark from 4.30pm, with fairy lights, fires, stone-baked pizzas, a hog roast, marshmallow toasting, live music and a visit from Wednesday Addams between 5pm and 7pm. Parking is very limited on those evenings, so the farm asks people to walk, use public transport or car share, and to bring a torch.