Pumpkin Picking at Rectory Farm

Rectory Farm at Stanton St John has been farmed since 1954 and the pumpkin patch is grown on the farm rather than bought in, which is why the variety count is so high. There are more than forty five varieties to pick across the field, from tiny coloured festival squashes up to the big white polar bears, and you walk the rows and choose rather than picking from a pile.

The event is built around a covered event tunnel as well as the field, which matters in Oxfordshire in October. Inside there are fete games, ride on mini tractors, sensory play, a book corner and face painting. Out in the field there is a pumpkin palace, a mini sweetcorn maze, photo installations and tractor and trailer rides around the farm.

There is a full programme rather than just a field to wander. A children's entertainer runs a toddler show at 09:30 for under threes and three more shows for all ages through the day, and live music plays from 12:30 to 14:30 with a rotating line up of local acts.

Food is a genuine strength here. The farm's own cafe opens at 08:00 for breakfast, and from 11:00 the food trucks start serving pizza, Middle Eastern street food, crepes and churros, with a licensed bar and a coffee truck alongside. The farm shop is open every day of the event.

One detail worth planning around: there is a quieter SEND morning on Tuesday 27 October, and half term tickets are a pound cheaper than weekend ones. Parking is ample but the walk from the car to the patch entrance can take ten minutes.