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Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields, Devon

Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields, Devon

Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields Lifton: a magical autumn day out

As the air turns crisp and the hedgerows glow gold, there’s no better way to celebrate the season than by visiting Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields, Lifton. This is more than just pumpkin picking! It’s a full-on autumn festival, perfect for families and lovers of countryside escapes. Strawberry Fields may be the name, but in autumn the fields in question are alive with thousands upon thousands of orange pumpkins, just waiting to be picked.

For those who love supporting British farms, seeking out local experiences and discovering destination farm shops, Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields is exactly the kind of farm day out to remember: it’s one of the myriad reasons we’ve included Strawberry Fields in The Farm Shop Guide (and in our other guidebook too: The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services). 

Visit Pumpkin Fest in 2025: Strawberry Fields Farm Shop’s biggest ever celebration of pumpkins, Halloween, and seasonal British food and fun! 

How to get to Strawberry Fields' Pumpkin Fest

  • Address: Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, Cookworthy Road, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0JL

  • Travel by car: The farm is accessed via local country roads; look for signage as you approach Lifton from the A30.

  • Public transport: Depending on where you are, you might take a train or bus to nearby towns and then it’s a short bike ride or taxi ride. (Check local bus routes in late October.)

  • Parking: On-site parking is usually available, often included in the ticket or for a small fee. Check ahead. 

What's on at Pumpkin Fest: highlights and top experiences

At Pumpkin Fest, there’s a lively mix of harvest fun, autumn atmosphere and festive treats. Expect:

  • huge pumpkin patch: thousands of homegrown pumpkins ready to pick!

  • Creepy Carnival maize maze for spooky wanderings

  • barrel train rides through the grounds

  • photo spots and displays with giant pumpkins, autumnal backdrops and seasonal scenes

  • magic shows, circus acts, live music and entertainment for children 

  • food stalls, autumn treats (pumpkin spiced items, hot drinks, pies etc.) 

  • Pumpkin Nights evenings with illuminated pumpkins, music and family entertainment (after-dark events) 

In short: Pumpkin Fest blends pick-your-own fun, festival atmosphere and seasonal charm.

Pumpkin Fest costs and tickets

  • General admission tickets are £4.95 for Pumpkin Fest sessions. 

  • The Creepy Carnival Maize Maze is priced separately at around £3.95. 

  • Parking may be included or charged (check the farm’s event pages for current details as it can vary from event to event).

  • Carers tickets may be available (often free or discounted), check online or call ahead for details if this would be useful for you.

  • Tickets tend to sell out for popular times: booking in advance is wise and always check ahead for any updates to pricing, opening hours, availability or parking costs. 

About Strawberry Fields Farm Shop

Strawberry Fields is not just about pumpkin festivals; it’s one of the region’s celebrated farm shops with a reputation for quality produce, artisan food, a bakery, pantry goods, local meats, and seasonal fruit and veg.

The farm shop often acts as the anchor to the event: visitors can arrive early or linger later to browse, enjoy a meal or a coffee, or to shop locally. The farm shop’s ethos aligns beautifully with what The Farm Shop Guide stands for: showcasing independent, authentic, regionally rooted farm destinations.

By including places like Strawberry Fields in The Farm Shop Guide, we help readers discover not just where to pick pumpkins, but where to shop local, meet producers, enjoy good food, and support sustainable farms.

A taste of the season...and a reason to explore

The Farm Shop Guide celebrates farm-to-fork food all year round, but autumn is when Britain’s farm shops truly shine. From freshly pressed apple juice to hearty soups, home-baked cakes, and steaming cups of hot chocolate, you’ll find every reason to embrace the season in farm shops, farm shop cafés, and farms’ PYO fields across Britain. 

Each entry in the book features an independent, hand-picked farm shop. Many have their own cafés, support local producers and stage seasonal and family-friendly events. Many are places that can turn food shopping into a day out for the whole family. Whether you’re in Cardiff, Cumbria or John o’Groats, there’s a pumpkin patch, apple orchard or farm shop or café waiting to welcome you.

Final thoughts

Pumpkin Fest at Strawberry Fields, Lifton, is a seasonal highlight worth planning for. It combines pick-your-own pumpkins, festival charm, live entertainment, and the chance to shop in a thriving farm shop. Whether you’re driving from a nearby county or exploring your backyard, Strawberry Fields is a destination that delivers feel-good fun, autumn colours, and a real connection to a local farm.

For any reader who values knowing where their food comes from, who loves the idea of farms as community hubs, and who wants to support local growers, The Farm Shop Guide is your road map to many more experiences like this. Use the book to find your next pumpkin patch, apple orchard or harvest festival, to visit farm shops that care deeply about quality, sustainability and place.

See you in the patch this October! 🎃

Image below (c) Matt Austin

Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, Lifton, (c) Matt Austin
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Find your perfect pumpkin patch this halloween

Pumpkins at the pumpkin patch at Drewton's Farm

Find your perfect pumpkin patch this Halloween

As the leaves turn gold and the nights draw in, there’s no better way to celebrate autumn than with a trip to a local farm shop or pumpkin patch. Across Britain, fields are glowing orange with pumpkins ready to be picked, carved and cooked, with many farm shops turning the season into a full-blown celebration, with Halloween trails, harvest festivals, and family-friendly days out.

If you love discovering local food, seasonal produce, and countryside adventures, The Farm Shop Guide is your ultimate companion. It’s packed with over 160 brilliant farm shops, pick-your-own farms, farm shop cafés, and growers across the UK, with some of the best pumpkin patches and autumn events happening right now.

So order your copy of The Farm Shop Guide before you search “pumpkin patch near me” or “Halloween events near me”, for the book might just do all the hard work for you. You’ll simply need to grab your wellies then head out to explore the kind of places that make autumn in Britain so special.

Below we list some top spots from The Farm Shop Guide known for their pumpkin activities. After, we’ll show you how to carve your pumpkin, and even how to use it up once Halloween is all done and dusted for another year. 

Why visit a farm shop pumpkin patch?

  • Fresh from the field: pumpkins that have ripened naturally and that haven’t been shipped halfway around the world.

  • Family fun: some farms offer hay-bale mazes, tractor rides, Halloween events and spooky-themed cafés.

  • Support local farmers: every pumpkin sold helps keep small British farms thriving.

  • Sustainable celebrations: farm shops often use minimal packaging and grow with the environment in mind. When you work with the soil directly, you know exactly what it loves, and what it doesn’t…

By visiting your local farm shop, you’re not just picking or buying a local pumpkin. You’re supporting British farming, reducing food miles, and helping build a sustainable, community-driven food culture.

Get a pumpkin from Upper Dysart Larder, Montrose

A farm shop: but not as you know it, and pumpkins are available in season. Here’s what The Farm Shop Guide has to say about Upper Dysart Larder.

Four generations of Stirlings have tended the land here which focuses on potato crops. Having supplied schools, hospitals, and supermarkets for years, the family was keen to show that no-one makes mash quite like a potato farmer, and began to cook up different flavours on the farm: chorizo, haggis, and cauliflower cheese to name a few. Their meals are sold via a touch-screen farm-to-table vending machine, next to fresh meat and pies, Scottish-made drinks, cheese, and sweet treats. That leaves the family’s hands free to greet farm visitors, where daughter and former teacher Jessica has set up a community hub offering farm experiences. Meet the pigs, alpacas, highland cows, and goats, and play in the park before taking a coffee out to enjoy in a bubble pod as you watch the workings of the farm and beautiful views over Lunan Bay. A memorable stop along the Angus Coastal Route. (Mud alert: wellies advised.)

Little girl with the goats at Upper Dysart Larder, Montrose

Pumpkins at Thorpe Farm Centre, Barnard Castle

There are plenty of family-friendly activities here: call ahead or check online to see what they have on the pumpkin front this year. Here’s what The Farm Shop Guide has to say about Thorpe Farm Centre. 

Handsome Thorpe Farm has been in the Barkes family since 1936. They transformed the courtyard buildings into a lively rural destination a few years ago. The farm shop is regularly raided by guests at the campsite alongside, who come for sumptuous fry-up ingredients, sun-downers, and groceries (plus the famed Sunday carvery). Local meat and fish bejewel the fridges, oven-ready meals await in the freezer for easy dinners, and alluring gifts fill the shelves. The café is abuzz with friendly chatter as people catch up over slices of oven-fresh cake, and crisp jacket potatoes. Explore the family’s wonderful legacy through their community woodland and wetland nature reserve; kids will love the animal paddocks too. Be sure to browse the treasure trove of a reclamation shop before departing. 

Pumpkins at Yolk Farm, Boroughbridge

No prizes for guessing that this place is known nationally for its eggs, but they also have pumpkins! Here’s what their feature in The Farm Shop Guide say about this fabulous, family-friendly, award-winning farm shop and restaurant.

As you’d expect with a name like Yolk, eggs are the order of the day here at Minskip Farm. Happy hens roam freely over a six-acre green paddock – alongside alpacas, pigs, and pygmy goats. This makes for delicious, perfectly poachable eggs, which you can try for yourself in the on-site café. Convinced? Buy a box to take home in the farm shop alongside market- garden vegetables, and meat from other happily reared animals. Most of the shop’s products come from within 30 miles. For a taste of the local terroir, you are in the right place: try the chicken pancakes with smoked bacon and maple syrup. Kids love the Yard@Yolk play barn (which has an admission charge) with its giant sand pit, and veggie growing and egg collecting stations. Check online for pumpkin and Halloween-related fun and games this year!

Pumpkins at Drewton's Farm Shop, South Cave

Pumpkins ahoy! The Yorkshire Wolds Way carves through chalk hills from the Humber estuary to the headland of Filey Brigg. Drewton’s Farm Shop is on the route, with sweeping views over this tranquil land. From this countryside springs a delicious crop of produce, which you can taste and take away in Drewton’s shop and café. The team supports the neighbouring farm community to keep food miles low. The meat in the butcher’s is Yorkshire bred, while the pheasant, partridge, and duck are from the Drewton Estate.

In the deli are sandwiches, nourishing salads, smooth pâtés, smoked fish, and mouth-watering ‘best of British’ cooked meats (the roast beef is a favourite). The café breakfasts and afternoon teas are legendary. If here in autumn, pick a plump favourite from the huge pumpkin patch. You’re on! 

Pumpkins at the pumpkin patch at Drewton's Farm

Pumpkins at Kenyon Hall Farm, Warrington

This place has its own entire Pumpkin Festival: now you’re talking. Owners Tod and Barbara took over Kenyon Hall Farm in 1978, and still get their hands dirty today. They are supported by their two sons and a friendly team who welcome visitors to the farm shop and café year-round, as well as to seasonal activities including an Easter Egg Hunt, PYO fruit, and a Pumpkin Festival. Open daily, the shop is always worth a stop, with much farm-grown produce. Some is turned into gins, jams, and preserves, and the honey comes from their hives. Provenance and limited food miles matter so the shop supports many North West producers. Stop in the newly extended café to enjoy smooth coffee, loaded brownies, and delicious home- cooked dishes overlooking the colourful blooms in the plant centre. Check online for Pumpkin Festival timings and all other information. 

Pumpkins at Darts Farm, nr Exeter

Darts is an award-winning food, drink, farming, and lifestyle destination created by Michael and James Dart. Their brother, Paul, runs the farm that has been at the heart of the business since the PYO began over 50 years ago. Their Ruby Red Devon cattle graze alongside, and crops rise in the fields beyond. The food hall brims with homegrown, seasonal, and artisan produce. Their own small-batch cider and sparkling and still wines from the vineyard are well worth sampling. The café and restaurants use the fields and food hall as their larder to create delicious dishes. Visit Darts’ chocolatier and gelateria or head to the flagship restaurant, The Farm Table, for a seasonal feast cooked over fire. If time, complete your day with a treatment at the Wellness Spa, hike the farm’s paths on foot, or cycle the Exe Estuary Trail. 

In autumn, check ahead for the Halloween, pumpkin, and other tasty (or indeed spooky!) happening down at Darts Farm, Devon. 

Pumpkins at Darts Farm Devon image (c) Matt Austin

Pumpkin carving ideas — and what to do with the leftovers

When carving your pumpkin this Halloween, make the most of every part of it. Here are some simple, waste-free ideas:

  • 🎃 Roast the seeds: toss them in olive oil, salt and paprika, and roast for a crunchy snack.

  • 🍲 Make soup: pumpkin flesh is perfect for creamy autumn soups with nutmeg and thyme.

  • 🥧 Bake a pie: or muffins, scones, or pumpkin bread: a great way to use up what’s left.

  • 🌱 Compost the shell: once your lantern has had its moment, add it to your compost heap.

  • 🐔 Feed wildlife: chopped pumpkin is a nutritious treat for birds, squirrels or chickens.

A taste of the season...and a reason to explore

The Farm Shop Guide celebrates farm-to-fork food all year round, but autumn is when Britain’s farm shops truly shine. From freshly pressed apple juice to hearty soups, home-baked cakes, and steaming cups of hot chocolate, you’ll find every reason to embrace the season in farm shops, farm shop cafés, and farms’ PYO fields across Britain. 

Each entry in the book features independent, hand-picked farm shops, many with their own cafés, local producers and events. Many are places that can turn food shopping into a day out for the whole family. Whether you’re in Cardiff, Cumbria or John o’Groats, there’s a pumpkin patch, apple orchard or farm café waiting to welcome you.

Make Halloween meaningful this year

Instead of buying imported pumpkins or plastic decorations, try celebrating Halloween the farm shop way this year. 

  • Pick your own pumpkin from a British farm.

  • Stay for a local meal or for a coffee and cake.

  • Meet the farmers who are growing your food.

  • Take home something delicious and home-grown.

  • Share your day out using the farm’s hashtags (and #extramilebooks if you’re feeling generous!) and support local, whatever the season. 

Thanks for reading, happy Halloween and if you find any farm shops or Halloween or pumpkin-related events near you that we should know about, spill the tea and let us know! 

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World Food Day: food with purpose

Rice paddy in Bali, Indonesia

Honouring World Food Day: food with purpose

Every 16 October, the world marks World Food Day: a moment to reflect, advocate, and act on the deeply human right to food, and on the systems that produce it. Established to commemorate the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945, World Food Day is now observed in over 150 countries to promote global food security, sustainable agriculture, and diets that serve people and planet alike.

In 2025, the theme is: ‘Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future’, part of FAO’s 80th anniversary campaign (#FAO80). It underlines the urgency of transforming food systems through cooperation: between governments, farmers, civil society and consumers. 

For us, as compilers of The Farm Shop Guide, The Extra Mile Guide, and other foodie books with a conscience, World Food Day serves both as a reminder and a rallying cry: that food is more than flavour. It’s connection, equity, ecology, and respect for the people and land that grow it.

Why World Food Day matters to local food and British farming

  1. Food security is not abstract
    The global picture is stark: millions still lack reliable access to enough nutritious food. Climate change, supply chain shocks, inequality, conflict, and ecosystem damage all intensify this crisis. 

  2. Food systems are climate systems
    Farming, land use, transport, and waste account for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. But they also hold solutions: regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and shorter supply chains to help reduce carbon, restore soils, and increase resilience.

  3. Local action feeds global impact
    Choosing seasonal, British produce, shopping at farm shops or independent cafés, and valuing small-scale farming: these things may seem local, but together they can help rebalance power, improve fairness, and reduce pressure on global supply chains.

  4. Stories and spotlighting matter
    Many farmers, activist groups and charities work year-round to protect soils, restore nature, support communities, and advocate for fairer farming policies. World Food Day gives them a global stage helps amplify their voices.

How your guidebook purchase can support change

  • A percentage of sales from our book, The Farm Shop Guide, goes to the Sustainable Food Trust, to support their work. 

  • The guide also features other food, farming, biodiversity, and wildlife-focused organisations, whose work strives to improve the situation for wildlife, food growing, and better food systems.

  • Reading and sharing these organisations’ stories helps build awareness, curiosity, and grassroots support: from consumers, farmers, and community groups.

  • When you buy our books it matters, when you shop locally it counts, and when you have conversations about fairer food systems and the charities working to protect and improve them, people listen. 

A woman in a field with fresh crops at Westerton Farm

What you can do this World Food Day

Here are some simple, meaningful actions readers and communities can take this World Food Day, and indeed throughout the season and the year. 

  1. Eat seasonally and locally
    Plan your meals around what’s fresh in your region. Visit farm shops or farmers’ markets rather than always defaulting to supermarkets. The Farm Shop Guide can help you find them. 

  2. Choose British or regional producers
    Every time you buy from a local supplier, you help strengthen their business, reduce food miles, and keep Britain’s farming heritage alive.

  3. Share the stories
    Post your activities on social media using #WorldFoodDay, #WorldFoodDay2025 #FoodHeroes, #FAO80, and tag your favourite farmers, local cafés, farm shops, or food charities.

  4. Host or join an event
    From a farm walk to a local talk, cooking demo, or roundtable, FAO encourages events like these as part of World Food Day. Find their useful comms support and toolkit here

  5. Support food and farming charities
    Donate or volunteer for organisations working on soil health, sustainable farming, food justice, or regenerative agriculture. You’ll find an abundance of them in The Farm Shop Guide, from Buglife, to RSPB Fair to Nature, to Pasture for Life, to LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming).

  6. Reduce food waste
    Compost food scraps, plan meals, and use leftovers creatively. Such small steps multiply when many people join in.

Spotlighting food and farming charities

On this day of global focus, it’s fitting to highlight the organisations featured in our Farm Shop Guide: those whose work we value and whose stories we help carry. 

  • The Sustainable Food Trust

  • The Wildlife Trusts

  • LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming)

  • The Nature Friendly Farming Network

  • The Biodynamic Association

  • Buglife

  • The Farm Retail Association

  • RSPB Fair To Nature

  • The Permaculture Association

  • The Royal Countryside Fund

  • The Soil Association

  • OF&G Organic

  • Better Food Traders

  • Pasture For Life

Each organisation tackles different pieces of the food puzzle, from soil regeneration to wildlife, organic standards to retail innovation, biodiversity to local markets. By reading their stories in our guides, sharing them, and supporting the ideas they stand for, you help keep the pulse of better food systems strong.

Summary of World Food Day 2025

World Food Day is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a moment to reconnect with the fundamental truth, that food shapes our world, and our choices shape food systems.

By buying a guidebook with a conscience, reading and sharing stories of farmers, advocates and food heroes, choosing seasonal and local food, and supporting charities doing essential work, every individual can be part of the change.

Let this World Food Day be a turning point (or perhaps just a tiny veer that is the start of a new direction): for your plate, your region, and the future of food.

Image of girl with fresh produce (c) Ben's Farm Shop

Ready to support local and buy British farm food?

The Farm Shop Guide is your road-trip companion to some of the most ethical, delicious, and independently run food stops across Britain, from award-winning farm shops at regenerative farms to delis, cheesemongers, bakeries, honey farms, and more. 

Wherever you’re heading, there’s a better bite waiting nearby: one that supports the land, the farmers, and the future. 

Order your copy of The Farm Shop Guide today.  

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Coastal Paths in Britain: where to start?

Welsh Coast Path sign, Mike Erskine

10 coastal paths around the country

Many of your journeys around and across Britain are to visit the coast, from Cornwall to Caithness. Read on to discover ten of our island’s finest coastal paths and walks: perhaps you might then be the one to write the next coast-path bestseller… If you discover any must-see cafés on your adventures, do let us know for the next edition of our Coastal Café Guide.

1. South West Coast Path (England)

  • Length: 630 miles 
  • Route: Minehead (Somerset) to Poole Harbour (Dorset) 
  • Highlights: England’s longest National Trail, offering dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, and charming fishing villages. 
  • Recommended guidebook: Walking the South West Coast Path by Paddy Dillon (Cicerone Press) 
South West Coast Path Image by Jonathan Taylor

2. Pembrokeshire Coast Path (Wales)

  • Length: 186 miles 
  • Route: St Dogmaels to Amroth 
  • Highlights: Traverses the UK’s only coastal national park, featuring rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, and diverse wildlife. 
  • Get started: The Pembrokeshire Coast Path by Dennis Kelsall (Cicerone Press)  

3. Causeway Coast Way (Northern Ireland)

  • Length: 33 miles 
  • Route: Portstewart to Ballycastle 
  • Highlights: Showcases the UNESCO-listed Giant’s Causeway, dramatic cliffs, and historic castles. 
  • A classic guidebook: Causeway Coast Way by Eoin Reilly (Rucksack Readers) 

4. Fife Coastal Path (Scotland)

  • Length: 117 miles 
  • Route: Kincardine to Newburgh 
  • Highlights: Passes through picturesque fishing villages, sandy beaches, and historic sites. 
  • A guidebook to consider: Fife Coastal Path by Sandra Bardwell and Jacquetta Megarry (Rucksack Readers)

5. Norfolk Coast Path (England)

  • Length: 84 miles 
  • Route: Hunstanton to Hopton-on-Sea 
  • Highlights: Features expansive beaches, salt marshes, and nature reserves. 
  • For inspiration, see: Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path by Bruce Robinson (Cicerone Press)
Cromer, on the Norfolk Way Coast Path

6. Arran Coastal Way (Scotland)

  • Length: 65 miles 
  • Route: Circular route around the Isle of Arran 
  • Highlights: Encircles the Isle of Arran, offering diverse landscapes from rugged cliffs to sandy shores. 
  • A guidebook to consider: Arran Coastal Way by Jacquetta Megarry (Rucksack Readers)  

7. Ceredigion Coast Path (Wales)

  • Length: 65 miles 
  • Route: Cardigan to Ynyslas 
  • Highlights: Offers stunning views of Cardigan Bay, opportunities to spot dolphins, and access to quaint coastal towns. 
  • Get a flavour: Walking the Ceredigion Coast Path by Liz Allan (Kittiwake Books)
Llangrannog, on the Ceredigion Coast Path

8. Gower and Swansea Bay Coast Path (Wales)

  • Length: 97 miles 
  • Route: Loughor to Kenfig Dunes 
  • Highlights: Traverses the Gower Peninsula, the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, featuring dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, and rich biodiversity. 
  • Have a peek into: Official Guide: Carmarthen Bay & Gower (Wales Coast Path)

9. South Wales Coast and Severn Estuary Coastal Path (Wales)

  • Length: 109 miles 
  • Route: Kenfig to Chepstow 
  • Highlights: Offers varied landscapes, from industrial heritage sites to natural reserves, and connects with the Offa’s Dyke Path at Chepstow. 
  • Find inspiration: Top 10 Walks: Wales Coast Path – South Wales Coast (The Trails Shop) 

10.Tarka Trail (England)

  • Length: 180 miles (figure-of-eight route) 
  • Route: Barnstaple to Meeth and back via various towns 
  • Highlights: Inspired by the novel Tarka the Otter, this trail combines coastal and inland paths, offering diverse scenery and wildlife. 
  • A walking, cycling, wheeling guide: The Tarka Trail Guide, by tarkatrailguide.co.uk.

Choose your path and walk it well

You could spend a lifetime walking the coasts of Great Britain, though for many the reality is the odd week and some memorable long weekends here and there. Wherever you go and however you get there, do keep your palate peeled for lovely new cafés that pop up at the roadsides you pass and the coast paths you cover, and let us know for the next editions of our café and local food guides. 

Check out our three best-selling foodie guidebooks below, with The Coastal Café Guide perhaps being the best suited to fuelling your fun around the edges of our island this year. Good luck, happy trails, and bon appetit.  

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English Wineries to Visit in English Wine Week

Self-guided wine tour image from Langham Wine Estate

A high-quality quartet of wineries across England

Celebrate English Wine Week with a visit to your closest winery (easier if you live in the southern half of the island but not impossible if you live towards the north!). Whether you’re a seasoned wine lover or simply looking for unique day-out ideas, English Wine Week is the perfect time to discover the vineyards, cellar doors, and farm shops championing English wine.

Featuring many award-winning locations, The Extra Mile Guide is your trusted companion for finding independent food and drink stops just off your beaten track. If you’re searching for English Wine Week inspiration, our guidebook has a few local numbers and artisan vineyards up its sleeve, alongside family-run delis, and off-motorway pit-stops where you can sip and savour your way through the week.

It’s going to be another long hot weekend: pen in your visits, tours and tastings now and stay cool in the sunshine. 

1. Heron Farm Vineyard, Honiton, Devon

There’s so much to say about Heron Farm Vineyard that we almost need to drop the little joining words altogether and just line all the award-winning nouns and wines up, end-to-end.

Magic happens in this Grand Designs building encircled by acres of working farm. It’s not all about the accolade-soaked wines, either, though the Solaris and Pinot Noir grapes thrive in their Devon soil. The farm and gift shop is lovely and the vineyard café excels with fresh kitchen-garden-to-table dishes, from curried pollock to cauliflower steak, often garnished with bright flowers. Sheep wander, the walled gardens delight and a Vineyard Walk weaves through the orchard, Fairy Gardens and some of the 3,000 vines.

First-time visitors (drawn by the added bonus of several EV chargers) often return with time on their hands and room in their boots for local gin and rum as well as vino. Plan your own first trip, tour or tasting and explore the pretty market town of Honiton afterwards.

Website for Heron Farm here

Heron Farm restaurant and shop image

2. Darts Farm, Topsham, nr Exeter

Darts Farm, on the Exe estuary, is a vibrant farming, shopping and eating hub. Links to the soil are strong with the family’s Ruby Red Devon cattle grazing on the river banks nearby. Reconnect with nature by visiting the animals, following the farm walk or spotting wildlife from the wetlands bird hide.

A highlight of a visit to Darts Farm is their Pebblebed Vineyards; head online to learn about their tours and tasting which run throughout summer until September (generally Thursdays and Saturdays, check and book ahead). 

Darts’ food hall brims with locally reared, caught or made goodies: seasonal produce from the farm and vineyard, deli goods like British farmhouse cheese and West Country essentials from the region’s food and drink artisans. The butchery is the quiet star of this show (though the bean-to-bar chocolate and homemade gelato of in-house chocolatier, Cow & Cacao, is catching up).

Follow the fresh-ground coffee aroma to the eateries, whose indoor and outdoor tables maximise the views. Expect Devon cream teas and delicious meals, from pan-fried sea bass to charcuterie platters. The Farm Table works its magic over the flames, The Fish Shed does great fish and chips and The Shack makes a mean steak sandwich.

Visit Darts Farm online here

3. Langham Wine Estate

The Langham Wine Estate is a wall-to-wall, grape to glass delight. Not content with being an international sparkling wine producer of the year award winner – take a bottle of the Pinot Meunier Extra Brut home – the winery also has a rustic café and outdoor pizza kitchen.

Walk-ins are welcome, though book online in summer to secure a spot in the café or hay-stacked barn, or at a bench amongst the vines and pretty hedgerows. Sharing and seafood platters are piled high with bright delicacies, and local ales and ciders join the homegrown wines on the menu. The Portland crab open focaccia is fab, the soft cheese soaked in Kalamata olive brine a salty speciality, and the Dorset posh ploughman’s a window into local fruits and flavours.

Feast your eyes on the grape-filled greenery with a guided tour, opt for the self-guided walking tour with a wine tasting flight, or enjoy your pre-ordered picnic within the satisfying symmetry of the vineyard.

Visit Langham Wine Estate online

Self-guided wine tour image from Langham Wine Estate
Langham Wine Estate Bistro

4. Squerrys Estate, Westerham, Kent

Squerryes’ family motto means ‘it’s permitted to be joyful’. Joy isn’t merely permitted at this 2,500-acre North Downs estate – gateway to the Garden of England – it’s inescapable. Squerryes has been creating magic for nearly 300 years and bottling it (in the form of sparkling wine) for a good while, too.

Take a table at the estate’s seasonal and sustainable Winery Restaurant next to veritable walls of wine; relax beneath broad parasols in the Garden Café overlooking the rosé vineyard; or plunder the deli’s bountiful larder whose cheese counter is curated by Neal’s Yard, London. Scoop into a creamy Kent blue for a peppery taste of the region.

After a vineyard walk, refill that energy gap with a coffee and light Portuguese tart, as the wine aficionados survey the Cellar Door’s pyramids of home-grown wine. In Westerham, next door, you can learn about the region’s brewing heritage or head south to Winston Churchill’s former home, Chartwell (National Trust), to appreciate its art collection and formal rose garden.

Visit Squerry’s Estate online

Squerrys vines, Westerham, Kent

Love a winery-based detour? You'll love our guide

To help you find memorable places to stop just off motorway junctions or while on the road exploring Britain, try The Extra Mile Guide (or our sibling titles, The Farm Shop Guide and The Coastal Café Guide). Packed with hundreds of memorable places to stop, eat and enjoy British food and drink (and wine), the guides will help you plan far more interesting journeys. Browse our books here.  

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11 ethical coffee roasters

Image of coffee beans and grounds

11 ethical coffee roasters in Britain

We love coffee as much as you do so we’ve compiled this list of Britain’s browse-worthy ethical roasteries. The following roasters have made our list for they all sell direct to the public, many offer coffee subscriptions, and all take their environmental and sustainability responsibilities seriously. They also practise fair or direct‑trade and do their best to support the all-important coffee bean growers themselves. Brew on, baristas…

1. Pure Roasters Coffee, Glasgow

This ethical speciality roaster is based in Glasgow. They source sustainable beans and offer flexible subscription deliveries across the UK.

☕ Website: pureroasters.com 
Instagram/X: @pureroasters 

Coffee beans

2. Dear Green Coffee Roasters, Glasgow

This Glasgow roastery is B-Corp certified. A direct‑trade roaster, they source responsibly and reinvest in grower communities. Dear Green offers single‑origin and organic blends online, both to  trade and to the lucky public.
 

☕ Website: deargreencoffee.com
Instagram: @deargreen

3. Blue Coffee Box

Blue Coffee Box offers a letterbox‑friendly ethical coffee subscription, spotlighting small-holder growers worldwide. This is the choice for adventurous drinkers seeking traceability and variety.

☕ Website: bluecoffeebox.com
Instagram: @bluecoffeebox

4. Mont58 Coffee, London

Mont58 is an award‑winning South‑East London roaster specialising in fair‑trade Arabica and compostable packaging. Their subscription service offers excellent value. 

☕ Website: mont58coffee.com
Instagram: @mont58coffee

5. Origin Coffee Roasters, Cornwall

This B -Corp certified Cornish roastery runs along very sustainable lines, with traceable beans and a strong online subscription programme. They are known for championing their farmers and producers.

☕ Website
: origincoffee.co.uk
☕ Instagram: @origincoffeeroasters

Coffee machine handles with coffee beans, grounds, and frothed milk

6. Coaltown Coffee Roasters, Wales

This South‑Wales B-Corp has transparent direct‑trade sourcing, award‑winning beans and equipment, and a UK‑wide subscription service. We also found Coaltown Coffee served at many of the excellent independent cafés and coffee shops we loved in Wales. 

Website
: coaltowncoffee.co.uk
Instagram: @coaltowncoffee

7. Black Mountain Roast, Hay-on-Wye

This foot‑o‑the-mountains roaster in Hay‑on‑Wye offers bi‑weekly or monthly coffee subscriptions. Their award-winning blends come in compostable bags. Waste not, want not, drink more coffee! 

Website: blackmountainroast.com
Instagram: @blackmountainroast

Creamy coffee with beans and coffee grounds around

8. Wrexham Bean Co, Wrexham

A North‑Wales speciality roaster that celebrates local art and plants a tree per subscription purchased. Not just a pretty coffee! For those seeking a coffee subscription, it offers weekly to monthly delivery.

Website: wrexhambean.com 
 Instagram: @wrexhambean

9. Pact Coffee, London

This London‑based B-Corp has been a pioneer of direct‑trade specialty subscriptions since 2012. Pact offers a roast‑to‑door service and beans that come bedecked with great‑taste awards.

Website: pactcoffee.com
Instagram: @pactcoffee

Unorthodox Roasters, Kinross, image of barrista

10. Unorthodox Roasters, Kinross

A firm favourite in this home office (and as pictured above), Unorthodox Roasters feature in our independent café guide, The Extra Mile Guide: Alternatives to Motorway Services. They also happen to roast their own beans and offer a coffee subscription (which reminds us, it really is time to order some more).

Website: www.unorthodoxroasters.co.uk
Instagram: @unorthodoxroasters

11. Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, East London

This East‑London craft roastery was founded in 2001. Union offers its CoffeeClub subscription, sells in supermarkets, and maintains great artisan values throughout the process. Taste the craft in every cup with Union. 

Website: unionroasted.com
Instagram: @unionroasted

Making you want to drink better coffee?

Try a new coffee subscription from one of the suggestions above, or get your own copy of The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services to keep in your glovebox. Packed with almost 300 ideas for local, just-off-the-junctions places to eat and drink, the guide also bursts with independent cafés and coffee shops, whose baristas are just waiting to create you a delicious cup using fresh and locally roasted beans. Happy re-caffeinating and book browsing…

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The passion behind our Farm Shop Guide

Girl with dreadlocks reading The Farm Shop Guide

Introducing: The Farm Shop Guide

Eleanor Weeks-Bell is the compiler of 2024’s Amazon bestseller, The Farm Shop Guide (a book featured in Waitrose Weekend, Times Weekend and more). Here’s her introduction to The Farm Shop Guide, to give you a feel for what it and we at Extra Mile Books are all about. Ele, over to you…

“Why buy flavourless, pre-packaged food that has been shipped thousands of miles when you can get the most deliciously fresh and toothsome produce direct from the field down the road? Starting in Scotland and running from North to South and West to East – to end in Kent, the fertile garden of England – this guide is a celebration of Britain’s growers and producers and their farm shops, cafés, and restaurants.

Family-run farms and more

You’ll find everything from traditional rustic barns to contemporary vending machines, run by all types of people from experienced farming families who have lovingly tilled the soils for generations, to community-owned or charity-led farms that provide opportunities for people to learn new skills and to improve their wellbeing. There are over 1,500 farm shops in Britain and this first edition of The Farm Shop Guide features over 160 of our favourites.

From rural to urban settings and from small and quirky to large and established places, this book reflects the fantastic diversity of Britain’s farms and farm shops. Read on to discover specialists of all varieties of vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, honey, cider, wine, and flowers, and the wonderful cafés, restaurants, and delis where you can sample this bounty in situ.

From children’s play parks to PYO

You’ll unearth memorable places with wildlife trails, pick-your-own (PYO) fields, children’s play parks, and animal petting farms, plus farms that run their own events, courses, and workshops. As well as reducing food miles, many of the farms you’re about to meet are fully invested in protecting and the natural environment through regenerative and nature-friendly farming.

There are farms that are planting hectares of hedgerows, wildflower meadows, and trees; raising rare breeds to the highest welfare standards; working to organic principles; reducing their energy use through wind and solar power and other measures; and those earning certification from bodies such as Pasture for Life, RSPB Fair to Nature, and the Soil Association.

While researching this book we’ve come to know and love some incredible farmers and producers. Working all hours, their resilience keeps them ploughing on in the face of increased costs, staff shortages, capricious weather systems, and the stranglehold of supermarkets on the farming community. These people are all passionate about growing good food well and championing the very best in seasonal local produce.

Connect with where your food comes from

By visiting the places in this guide, you are supporting these committed custodians of our land while benefiting from eating delicious, nutritious fresh food. You’ll feel more connected to where your food comes from…and can even top up the wellbeing tank by spending time in nature or petting a baby goat! We hope this book inspires and accompanies you on many new adventures across farm and field.”

Eleanor Weeks-Bell, Compiler of The Farm Shop Guide

Sound like your kind of book?

If our ethos resonates with you, we have a sneaking suspicion that you might enjoy The Farm Shop Guide, or its sibling books The Coastal Café Guide (which does what it says on the tin) or The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services. Hit the image or button below to browse our current guides, and do let us know if you find any favourites that we’ve yet to stumble upon.




Browse guides here

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The energy behind our Coastal Café Guide

Hand holding The Coastal Café Guide in a living room.

Introducing: The Coastal Café Guide

Kerry O’Neill is the writer of 2024’s Amazon bestseller, The Coastal Café Guide (a book featured in The Scotsman, Times Weekend and more). Here’s her welcome to the book, to give you a feel for what it and we at Extra Mile Books are all about. Kerry, over to you…

(c) Red Zeppelin, drone shot of the English south coast with cliffs and speedboat

“The coast represents many things to many people. Some head to the coast purely to relax or for fun, holidays, escapes, surfs, swims, and sunbathing. Others go to be uplifted, inspired, and buoyed by the mental health and well-being benefits of being in, near, and on the ocean. Whatever your motivation, you’ll need to eat while there. This guide is a counter-clockwise journey around Britain. It starts in the South West (where we at Printslinger/ Extra Mile Books are based) then heads east and up to Scotland, returning via rugged West Wales.

Food with a view and beach eats

This first edition has around 150 cafés, restaurants, seafood shacks, horsebox pop-ups, beach cabins, bars, and pubs that we hope you’ll enjoy visiting. Often small and independently run, each place is ready to keep your salty self fed and watered while at the coast. If it is food with a view you seek, in many cases: you got it. Love them? Great! Prefer other spots? Tell us for next time. We’ve had some epic experiences while researching this book.

What’s more impressive is the resilience of Britain’s small coastal café owners. Battling the same challenges as the rest of us, they manage to keep that beachy flag flying in the face of increased food costs, difficulties finding staff, and the famously fickle British weather. By visiting the places in this new guide, you are supporting the people that work so hard to make your day memorable, with their splashes of local colour and tasty regional specialities.

May this book be your companion on many foodie and coastal adventures.

Kerry O’Neill

Writer of The Coastal Café Guide and publisher at Extra Mile Books, from Printslinger.

Sound like your kind of book?

If our ethos resonates with you, we have a sneaking suspicion that you might enjoy The Coastal Café Guide, or its sibling books The Farm Shop Guide (which does what it says on the tin) or The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services. Hit the image or button below to browse our current guides, and do let us know if you find any favourite coastal cafés that we’ve yet to stumble upon.

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The Joy of Getting Slightly Lost

Fingers pointing at a map on a table

The lost joy of getting slightly lost: why paper guides still matter

We’ve all been there, following the blue dot on a phonescreen, eyes down, marching toward the next café, viewpoint, or farm shop with barely a glance at what’s around us. Efficient? Maybe. But satisfying? Not always. In a world of digital maps and algorithm-driven reviews, we’ve lost something quietly magical: the joy of getting slightly lost. 

The beauty of the detour

One of the best things about slow travel – especially along Britain’s coast or countryside – is its unpredictability. The winding lane that wasn’t on the route? It might lead to a family-run café with the best crab sandwich you’ve ever had. That missed turnoff? You could stumble across a beach no App has reviewed (yet).  Paper guides – the kind you can hold in your hands, scribble notes in, and spill coffee on – invite this kind of discovery. They don’t demand your attention. They suggest, rather than dictate. And they leave space for chance. 

Road sign options

Screens don’t make memories

Phones are useful. We won’t deny that. But they tend to flatten the experience: screen glow, search results, star ratings. You arrive knowing exactly what to expect because you’ve seen it all in advance: the buildings, the meals, the platters, the views.  

With a paper guide, you arrive hoping for something, often finding more than you bargained for. There’s been no hype, no amped expectation, no Instagram filters. This allows you to discover the place as it truly is, so you’ll meet real people, producers and farmers, often selling their own homemade food for your enjoyment. This isn’t sat-navigation: it’s adventure.  

Why we still make printed guides

At a time when almost everything is online, we deliberately make real guides: designed to be enjoyed offline. They are beautiful, colourful, high calibre books: carbon-neutral print products made with vegetable inks and using certified paper from carefully managed forests.

They don’t need signal. They have no batteries to die, no pop-ups to annoy, no notifications to cause you stress. Just pages packed with handpicked, characterful places, some of which we’ve got very lost trying to find.  

We believe there’s something grounding about unfolding a map or drifting through a guidebook, circling a café, ear-marking a page, or flipping through pages over breakfast to plan your next stop. It’s a type of travel that invites you to stay present… and sometimes to go off course. 

So go on. Get a little lost

Next time you hit the road, leave the SatNav off for a while. Let your finger trace a route across a page. Embrace the scenic way. Look out for high points, viewpoints, nature reserves, picnic bench signs, car parks atop cliffs. And if you take a wrong turn or it takes ten minutes longer than planned, don’t panic; that’s where the best stories often begin. 

Gift a guidebook today

Our printed guides, The Extra Mile, The Farm Shop Guide, and The Coastal Café Guide, are packed with brilliant places that are worth getting slightly lost for. They are also ideal gifts, especially for people who prefer the real world to the digital one, or who prefer books to screens.

‘You can’t wrap an app’ as we like to say, but you can gift a lovely guidebook, ready to create countless foodie memories for your recipient as they follow their tummies and noses around Britain in search of good, honest, local food, with a little bit of adventure thrown in.

Explore Extra Mile Books’ full collection of guides below  

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Why Farm Shops Are the Future of Ethical Eating

Image of the bread and bakery section at Weetons

Why Farm Shops are the future of ethical eating

In an age where supermarket aisles are crammed with plastic packaging and mystery meat, more and more people are asking: Where does my food come from, and what impact does it have? 

Enter the modern British farm shop: a haven for ethical eaters, local food lovers, and sustainability-conscious shoppers. Once thought of as quaint countryside stops, farm shops today are pioneering a new kind of food culture: one rooted in transparency, taste, and doing better by people and planet. Farm-to-fork is something that producers strive to offer, and visitors love to experience. Here’s why farm shops are leading the charge for a more ethical way to eat. (Image above (c) Weetons.)

1. You know where your food comes from

Unlike supermarket supply chains that stretch around the globe, many farm shops sell food grown, reared, or made right on site or by producers they know personally. Whether it’s grass-fed beef from the next field or honey from a neighbour’s hives, there’s a story behind every product. That means fewer food miles, fresher produce, and a direct connection between farmer and eater. There are some truly delicious farm-to-fork experiences to be enjoyed. 

2. Support regenerative and sustainable farming

Many independent farms and their farm shops are champions of sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture, namely a way of farming that restores soil health, promotes biodiversity, and works with nature rather than against it. By shopping at these outlets, you’re helping to fund regenerative farming that builds a better food system, rather than depleting it. Image below (c) Westerton Farm.

A woman in a field with fresh crops at Westerton Farm

3. Champion small-scale and artisan producers

Farm shops are more likely than supermarkets to stock products made in small batches, which have been crafted by local artisans or by family-run producers. Whether it’s hand-churned butter, heritage apples, or traditionally made cheddar, these products preserve skills, regional flavours, and rural jobs.

4. Reduce waste and packaging

Looking to shop with less plastic? Many farm shops offer refill stations, loose produce, and minimal packaging, especially compared to supermarkets. You’re more likely to find recyclable or compostable containers, and often reusable options, too. 

5. Keep money in the local economy

Ethical eating isn’t just about the environment, it’s about people. When you spend money at a farm shop, more of it stays in the community. You’re supporting local livelihoods, helping rural businesses thrive, and keeping Britain’s independent food culture alive. image below (c) Ben’s Farm Shop, Staverton.

Image of girl with fresh produce (c) Ben's Farm Shop

6. Seasonal, responsible choices, without the 'greenwashing'

Ethical eating is about more than buzzwords. Farm shops typically stock what’s truly in season, helping you eat in tune with nature’s rhythms… and without the air-freighted strawberries in January. It’s simpler, more honest, and (spoiler) tastes better too. 

Ready to eat more ethically?

The Farm Shop Guide is your road-trip companion to some of the most ethical, delicious, and independently run food stops across Britain, from award-winning farm shops at regenerative farms to delis, cheesemongers, bakeries, honey farms, and more. 

Wherever you’re heading, there’s a better bite waiting nearby: one that supports the land, the farmers, and the future. 

Order your copy of The Farm Shop Guide today.  

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Beyond the Big Chains

Betty Berkins cafe, an independent cafe in The Extra Mile

Why independent motorway stops-offs matter

When you’re halfway through a long drive and your stomach starts to rumble, the default is often a motorway service station: convenient, predictable, and usually forgettable. But what if there were a better way to break your journey? One that supported local communities, served better food, and added character to your trip? 

Welcome to The Extra Mile: a curated guide to delicious, independent places to eat near UK motorway and main-road junctions. We believe that taking the scenic (and tasty) detour is about more than just what’s on your plate; it’s also about whom and what you support along the way.

Image above (c) Betty Berkins

The trouble with chain services

Let’s face it: the average motorway service station is hardly known for its individuality and charm. From lukewarm fries to overpriced coffee, chain-dominated services tend to serve up convenience somewhat at the cost of character. 

Many service stations are owned by a handful of large operators, meaning that their profits leave the local area and sometimes the country, even though the services themselves may be located in the heart of Britain’s rural communities. 

Why do independent food stops matter?

Fries on a table

1. Better food, made with care

Independent cafés, bakeries, and farm shops near motorways often use fresh, local ingredients. Many make everything from scratch, from sourdough toasties to homemade cakes and seasonal soups. 

2. They support local economies

When you stop at a family-run café or regional farm shop, you’re keeping money in the local community. That means more local jobs, stronger rural economies, flourishing local food and drinks producers, and thriving high streets. 

(Certain services brands, i.e. the Westmorland company’s Gloucester, Tebay, and Cairn Lodge services, act in a way that is more akin to independently run pit-stops, and are notable exceptions to the general rule of motorway services’ profits leaving the area. Each of the Westmorland trio supports hundreds of local farmers and food producers by stocking and introducing their goods to their millions of annual visitors.) 

3. A more memorable journey

Nobody reminisces about that generic burger they grabbed at the services just off Junction 18 that time. But taking a one mile detour to stop at a converted barn café or a friendly farm shop with goats and garden tables? That becomes part of the story. 

4. Lower your travel footprint

Many of the places featured in The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services keep their eyes sharply on their carbon footprint and sustainability efforts. They buy local produce to reduce food miles, offer EV chargers, or work hard to reduce their packaging use. 

Taking the detour is easier than you think

All the venues in The Extra Mile are within 15 minutes of a motorway or main A-road junction (most are a lot closer or within a few minutes). This means better food without a major diversion, plus the satisfaction of skipping limp chips and queues in sterile food halls. 

From artisan bakeries off the M5 to coastal cafés just beyond the A30, there’s a better alternative waiting just off your route. 

Find your next ‘new favourite’ food stop

The Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives to Motorway Services is your glovebox guide to over 275 independent, welcoming venues across Britain, including cafés, pubs, farm shops, and delis that are well worth a small detour. 

If you’re ready to swap the service station sandwich for something made with love, order your copy of The Extra Mile and discover the tastier side of travel. Extra Mile Books now also publishes The Farm Shop Guide and The Coastal Café Guide, so you can branch out and continue enjoying adventures in local food from the heart of rural Britain to the salty edges of our island.  

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Eye-Opening ‘Ultra-Processed Food’ and Sugar Films

Food Inc. 2: back for seconds. The documentary image featuring a cow with a barcode.

10 food films to make you think twice...

We produce books about cafés and farm shops to help you eat fresh, local food while travelling. Our guides aren’t purely about supporting local businesses though: ultra-processed and sugar-rich foods are bad news for our own health, and that of society at large (and getting larger). 

Check out our top ten eye-opening films and documentaries below about the global food and sugar industry. You’ll probably want to buy our book, The Farm Shop Guide, instantly, to bring more unadulterated, farm-fresh goodness into your lives, so find some handy links at the bottom. Let’s start with the most recent film first…

1. Food, Inc. 2 (2024)

A sequel to the acclaimed 2008 film, this documentary delves into how ultra-processed foods dominate modern diets, highlighting their manipulation by the food industry and the decline of fresh, whole foods. 

Food Inc. 2: back for seconds. The documentary image featuring a cow with a barcode.

2. Ultra-Processed: How Food Tech Consumed the American Diet (2024)

This CBS documentary explores how ultra-processed foods have infiltrated American diets, linking them to chronic diseases and questioning our reliance on convenience. The UK trails behind The States in terms of food habits but the pattern is clear and we’re heading in a similar direction. Forewarned is fore-armed…

3. Ultra-Processed Food: A Recipe for Ill Health? (2024)

An investigative documentary examining the chemicals in ultra-processed foods and the weak regulations allowing their widespread use, raising concerns about health impacts. Watch it here on Daily Motion.  

4. What Are We Feeding Our Kids? (2021)

Dr. Chris van Tulleken’s month-long diet of ultra-processed foods leads to alarming health effects, highlighting the dangers of these convenient but harmful products. Watch it now on Daily Motion. 

5. Eating Our Way to Extinction (2021)

Narrated by Kate Winslet, this film exposes the devastating impact of industrial meat production on the planet and advocates for more sustainable dietary choices. Watch it here. 

Eating our Way to Extinction film image

6. That Sugar Film (2014)

This eye-opening documentary follows Damon Gameau as he consumes a high-sugar diet of ‘healthy’ processed foods (including the everyday Australian’s amount of sugar each week). It reveals the harmful effects of hidden sugars on the body, alongside the shockingly short amount of time it takes for the negative effects to kick in. 

7. Super Size Me (2004)

In this ground-breaking documentary, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock embarks on a 30-day experiment consuming only McDonald’s food. The film highlights the drastic effects of fast food on physical and mental health. It sparked widespread discussions about nutrition and the fast-food industry. A ‘Supersize Me 2’ is also now out, see next…  Find ways to watch it here. 

8. Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! (2017)

A follow-up to the original, Spurlock investigates the fast-food industry’s marketing tactics by opening his own chicken restaurant. The film exposes how terms like ‘free-range’ and ‘natural’ can be misleading, while revealing the complexities behind food labelling and consumer perception Find info on IMDB here. 

9. Fed Up (2014)

Narrated by Katie Couric, this documentary examines the role of sugar in the obesity epidemic, particularly among children. It critiques the food industry’s influence on dietary guidelines and the government’s failure to regulate sugar consumption effectively. Watch the trailer here on YouTube.

Fed Up film image

10. Sugar Coated (2015)

This Canadian film delves into the sugar industry’s history of down-playing health risks associated with sugar consumption. It draws parallels to tactics used by the tobacco industry, shedding light on corporate influence over public health narratives. Find more info here on IMDb. 

Depressing, right? Here's an antidote...

These films may make you angry with the industry or with government, or determined to do better for yourself (or both in equal measures). While we can’t arrive at your house to cook you sugar-free, health-first meals every day, we can definitely help you find farm-fresh, local, lower-food-miles food to help you make a start on eating seasonally and more healthily. 

Check out our three best-selling foodie guidebooks below, with The Farm Shop Guide being the best suited to spring-boarding your diet in a healthier direction. Good luck and bon appetit.