Life as a SEN mum

I know I’ve reviewed Mr Pumpkin in the past, but for anyone who is new here, and to give my updated opinion, here is 2024’s review:

Cost

Mr Pumpkin will set you back £2.50 per adult, if you go over the first 2 weekends under 16s are free, after that under 16s are £1. Mr Pumpkin operates on a pre book system in order to provide enough parking for all visitors. Booking does stay open on the day so if you’re apprehensive about the British weather you don’t need to book too far in advance. Although bear in mind that dates closer to Halloween are going to book up quicker, and the best pumpkins may have all gone.

Pumpkins vary in price from a couple of pound up to £10. I’m sure you can guess which price range we were on the hunt for. There is also lots going on that come at additional costs, but I’ll discuss these further down.

Pumpkins

The important question is, what is the range of pumpkins like this year? We honestly weren’t sure what to expect, I had seen on social media that they still had plenty of pumpkins despite the weather this year not being in favour. But what those pumpkins were going to be like we had no idea. In all honesty they really was still a good choice, although there was some issues. When we go pumpkin picking we’re looking for the biggest pumpkins we can find. The ones that are definitely worth that £10 price tag, and far bigger than supermarkets. Most importantly, they’re the ones that you can carve bigger and better designs on. After all, we aren’t a standard pumpkin face family. There was a few that fitted this criteria. Although I feel like we probably selected the biggest of them between us. But there are still lots of decent pumpkins to be had. We did notice, however, that some of the varieties of pumpkins either hadn’t ripened properly, or seemed to have rather soft patches. It’s definitely worth still having a hunt through as there are so many you’re bound to find some decent pumpkins. But just be aware that they aren’t quite up to the standard of previous years. Not that this is any fault of Mr Pumpkin, all sellers are struggling due to this years weather, and that’s not something any of us can control.

Other things to do

As well as picking the perfect pumpkin, there is plenty to turn this from just a pumpkin patch to a family day out. Adjacent to the car park you’ll find food and drink, as well as activities for children.

This year saw the return of the usual Tea Cup ride and inflatables, as well as trampolines (I don’t recall these in previous years). All of these come at an additional cost, although neither James or Charlotte asked to go on anything this year, I think because it was quite cold and drizzly when we went they were both eager to get back in the car and get home, so it didn’t break the bank.

If you want to grab a drink or something to eat there are a variety of vendors and you’ll find some hot and cold food options within their marquee. Kids will love the fact that they also have face painting in the marquee.

When you enter the pumpkin patch you’ll see a little hut, from here you can purchase a pumpkin trail which will take you round their top field. You can’t take your wheelbarrows on the pumpkin trail so bare this in mind, I did see some people leaving their wheelbarrows, whilst others opted to do the trail and then grab a wheelbarrow and pick their pumpkins afterwards. All proceeds from the trail go to the Air Ambulance.

Even if you are simply just there to find your perfect pumpkin there are plenty of opportunities for photos, from cutouts for the kids to halloween displays that make a perfect backdrop for your family photos.