Maize Mazes at Millets Farm Centre

Followers of this blog may remember that we went to Millets Farm for a Pick Your Own afternoon in June where we heard about the Maize Maze that was being grown.  Sous Chef J was delighted to be invited to try out their Alice in Wonderland themed maze today.  We left home in bright sunshine but as we approached Frilford, the cloud thickened and, by the time we arrived, rain was falling.  As this is pretty typical of a British summer's day, we grabbed our waterproofs and headed into the maze area.  In view of the activity required in maze navigation, the camera was my responsibility for the outing... Sous Chef J would be too busy!

Having had a quick briefing on the mazes from Helen and Hallane (there were three maize ones to choose from), Sous Chef J was keen to lead the way around the "Mad Hatters Tea Table".  

Here the aim was to find all the stamp points and add items to the tea table picture in the Maze Game Card.  


The stamps were easy to use although, in the rain, the card did become a little soggy. 




Having completed our mission in good time, Sous Chef J chose to head off to the Fortune Maze where much fun was had... and coloured fingers were then matched to a chart (there are 120 combinations).  This revealed Sous Chef J has a generous personality, which is very accurate.

Next, it was onto the Cat Call, which was based in a woody area, and was based on the Cheshire Cat.  On the Maze Game Card, you record each cat's face and answer a question. 

Then we moved swiftly onto the Jewel Rush which took place in a wooden fort style maze.  Every so often there were jewels to be found and recorded on the Maze Game Card... so that an answer was revealed after all clues had been spotted.

Finally, we made use of a dry spell in the weather to head into the Wonderland Maze.  Again Sous Chef J was leading the way... and he was ready to wave his flag in case we become seriously lost!




Luckily, we did not and, in fact, we easily found the snake maze and go-kart track (which is new for this year).

By this point, Sous Chef J was starting to slow down, so we headed off to the car for our Gluten Free picnic... although it was nicely supplemented with this lovely meringue provided by Millets Farm Shop.

After lunch we made use of our Pick Your Own voucher and went into the poly tunnels in search of strawberries.  Wow... what a lot of fruit there was still on the plants... the farm clearly has a great method of ensuring the fruit is pickable for the maximum length of time.

Finally, we headed into the shop and had a look to see what Gluten Free goodies they had.  There were quite a few to choose from which was a pleasant find!

We didn't check out the restaurant, play area, farm zoo, walks or garden centre on this visit but there is plenty to fill your time if you want a full day out. 

The Maize Maze entry is by way of a purchased wrist band and this is valid for the whole day - and to get value for money, we'd certainly recommend you make full use of the admission cost by visiting the whole site and popping back into the maize mazes more than once.  The mazes stretch over 10 acres so there is a lot of walking to do - wear sturdy shoes, the ground is uneven and, sadly, the site is not ideal for wheelchair users (although on drier days it should be passable with assistance) also dogs are not allowed.  

Now, what shall we do with these lovely strawberries?!

Picking Our Own...

It came as a lovely surprise to be invited to go and have a look around Millets Farm Centre's Pick Your Own operation.  We had been intending to go strawberry picking but not actually got around to it so this was the encouragement we needed. 

We went to the centre at Frilford, Oxon, which is well signposted off the A420 Oxford to Swindon road.  There's also a centre at Evesham Country Park and we hope to meet friends there over the summer holidays. 

On arrival, it was clear that there has been a lot of thought about the site layout.  We quickly located the PYO area and made our way there.  Having collected a basket, we saw ahead of us well signposted areas that were looking very appealing.  The sun was shining and there were some lovely cumulus clouds about so it looked set to be a fine afternoon.

The first crops we saw were redcurrants and they looked (and tasted) wonderful.  It seems not many people know what to do with redcurrants - how about making jelly (to go with lamb or in red cabbage at Christmas) or sorbet?

Next we moved onto gooseberries where the bushes were bursting with fruit... Sous Chef J was most taken with the informational signs and, being a keen golfer, was surprised to read that competitive gooseberries used to be grown that were the size of  golf ball!

There were also rows and rows of blackberries (Sous Chef J was pleased to note they were the thornless variety) but these would not be ready to harvest for a few weeks yet.

Next was a field that had recently been planted with brussels sprouts (these will be ready in time for our Christmas meal), runner and broad beans.   Where birds are a problem with broad beans, they were being outwitted by the use of sheeting to stop them from rooting out the newly planted beans... which is something they do 'for fun'... they don't even bother to eat the beans.  However some young rabbits had been eating the sprouts and, it seems, enjoying them rather a lot.

Having looked at where the maize (corn on the cob) was growing, the next crop that we saw was leeks... although, in truth, they looked more like chives... however, they will be ready to crop later in the year.  Next door though, the beetroot was looking almost ready to harvest... and the leafy spinach alongside was being picked.  Asparagus has been allowed to go to flower and will convert all the energy it gets from the sunshine into starch before storing it over the winter and using it to make lovely new spears next year... yum.

Anyone for cherries?!

Then, we were in for a real treat... there was a netted area of fruit trees that were laden with the most delicious looking cherries... the trees were dripping with them and we were allowed first access to pick the fruit.

There was so much fruit... and the cherries were very tasty.

Which to pick first?

The next fruit trees were plums (which, again, were laden with fruit) that will be ready to gather in a month or so.  Then the apples... some lovely bramleys were growing well.  The farm presses and makes its own apple juice as this is a good way to make use of the less perfect-looking fruits.

We then were taken to see rhubarb and carrots and after that it was a trot along the parsnips to the poly tunnels. Here we were able to pick raspberries and strawberries.  The strawberries we chose to pick from were grown in coir bags, which are set on benches about 100cm above the ground.  Great for seeing your "prey" and selecting the juiciest fruits!  

However, Sous Chef J only had eyes for the raspberries and, having done some insect spotting, he was ready to grab whatever fruits he spotted. 

It was a very productive afternoon and were delighted with the produce we'd been able to pick.  Our basket was groaning with fresh fruit and veg as you can see.  Best of all, it was competely gluten free!

 The function room above the restaurant was the venue for a well earned cuppa and some snacks.  Having asked the manager we were supplied with a couple of Mrs Crimbles individually wrapped cakes.  Sous Chef J was delighted with his macaroon.

Finally, we were given a super goodie bag with items from the farm shop and lots of interesting leaflets about upcoming activities.  

Sous Chef J is keen to return to try out the Alice in Wonderland Maize Maze with some pals in a few weeks...

Millets Farm Centre surprised us because there is so much to do there. Sous Chef J checked out the play area and liked the roundabout very much (although did comment it's not accessible to those in a wheelchair).

The farm animal zoo, trout lake, Frosts's Garden Centre, Farm Shop and Restaurant are things we will investigate further on our next visit.

We reckon it's a good venue for an outing even on a rainy day as you can still pick the fruit in the poly tunnels without getting too muddy or wet.  Plus, you'd be bound to have the pick of the crop if others aren't as hardy.

If you need further information, then check out Millets Farm Centre's website  it has all the up-to-date info about which crops are in season and what activities are going on.