HARVEST FESTIVALS

CANONS ASHBY NORTHANTS

Visit the historic site of Canons Ashby throughout September to see the house and church decorated for the harvest, with events running all month. Take home fresh produce from the garden bench for a donation, follow a harvest trail (£1) around the parkland, enjoy an uplifting evening of music on Sept 22 with the Middleton Cheney Singers (6pm7.30pm), and visit the annual apple weekend on Sept 29-30 to try out different apple varieties and apple pressing.

TATTON PARK CHESHIRE

Today and tomorrow, the Farm at Tatton Park celebrates the harvest festival with a day of scarecrow-making, sheep racing and woodturning. Have a go on the steam engine, try your hand at some of the craft workshops running throughout the day. There will be a harvest blessing at 2pm accompanied by the Preston Brook Brass Band and visitors are welcome to bring their own pets to be blessed. Normal admission and parking charges apply.

DAYLESFORD GLOUCESTERSHIRE

On Sept 22, set within the picturesque location of the flagship Daylesford farm in Gloucestershire (above), this annual event has a glorious festival vibe with live music, apple bobbing, home produce competitions, workshops and challenges. The fire pits will be lit to cook delicious organic produce from the market garden, with 50p off for everyone who brings their own reusable cups and containers.

Noon-5pm, Tatton Park, Knutsford, WA16 6QN (nationaltrust.org.uk)

Daventry, NN11 3SD (nationaltrust.org.uk)

10am-5pm, Daylesford near Kingham, GL56 0YG (daylesford.com).

WOODLANDS FARM GREENWICH

Marking its 20th year, the London Harvest Festival, on Sept 29, celebrates from a new location – Woodlands Farm in Greenwich, with donkeys, goats, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese and small animals, farm craft activities and some of London’s best home-grown produce on display. The new location has 89 acres of working farm and ancient woodland to wander around when you’ve had enough of apple juicing and jam tasting. 10am-5pm, Woodlands Farm, DA16 3RP (farmgarden.org.uk).

RHS HALLS LONDON

On Oct 2-3, once again the RHS celebrates the harvest festival with a free entry show, including the famous giant pumpkin competition, along with more than 150 different categories of fresh autumn produce that will be up for judging. Wander among the displays of fruit and vegetables, taste samples from an array of producers such as The Garlic Farm, Pennard Plants and Sea Spring Seeds, and try your hand at Hallowe’en pumpkin carving during this family-friendly day. Open 10am-5pm, RHS Lindley Hall, SW1P 2QW (rhs.org.uk)

CHILTERN OPEN AIR MUSEUM BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

The Chiltern Open Air Museum’s harvest festival, Oct 13-14, is a great opportunity to discover the traditions of our farming history. The museum’s 1947 threshing machine (above) has been restored and will be working on the wheat crop; harvest produce, most of which has been grown in the museum gardens, is on display in the chapel and live folk music will accompany a barbecue. Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St Giles, HP8 4AB (coam.org.uk).