Family frolics on the farm
Claire Spreadbury goes glamping in rural Leicestershire
If I’m honest, Leicestershire isn’t a place I thought I’d ever holiday. But skipping airport queues for a drive through the countryside to stay in a quaint lodge on a farm feels like the perfect pick-me-up now. It’s fair to say all farmers work hard – but our host at Brook Meadow, Jasper, is still going strong despite the ripe old age of 80 looming. His father bought the farm in 1913 and Jasper and his wife Mary have been running it for 30 years. Their daughter Claire is an architect and interior designer, who has come into the fold and transformed the accommodation, so you can now choose whether to camp, glamp or stay in wooden lodges.
Some fields are rented out for growing crops, outdoor sports, and even growing willow for basketmaking. But Jasper’s beautiful beef cows are his main priority. You can’t miss blond Boris, one of two bulls here, making his presence known as he struts around a field, mooing at us interrupting feeding time as calves suckle nearby.
I’m here with my husband James and daughters, Rosie, 12, and Poppy, nine. We’re staying in Skylark – a two-bedroom lodge
whose decor wouldn’t look out of place in an interiors magazine. Claire’s hand-painted walls depict roughly-sketched birds and botanicals, overlooking a perfectly pink theme with on-trend touches like wicker lampshades and gold taps, alongside handstitched blinds and sheepskin seat cushions. Funky retro shapes meet modern designs and cosy textures; there’s a real effort to make the space a joy to live in. And it’s very cool kitsch.
You can open the doors up to dine al fresco, or barbecue in the sunshine overlooking the lake, and woodburners can be set up for toasting marshmallows and keeping warm as the sun goes down.
On our first morning, my reward for rising early with a sniffly child is walking out on to the deck, frost crunching beneath my slippers, the marmalade-orange sun on its way up and the lake looking mystical. We’re visiting before peak season, when wood-fired pizzas can be gobbled hot from the stove, family outdoor cinema nights can be enjoyed under canvas, and most excitingly, you can book a stay in the fancy two-story Marabou Safari
Lodge – new to the site last year. But whatever the weather and whatever the time of year, nature escapes are good for the soul. And we love nothing more than zipping up our coats and discovering life and each other on the farm.
There are delicious discoveries to be made nearby, too. Rosie’s eyes grow wide as we nibble on the pesto fromage at the outdoor French Cheeses stall in Market Harborough, a 15-minute drive away. Even in the cold, we could
stand here for hours tasting all the cheeses, but it would probably leave me bankrupt (two small pieces cost £11.50), so we wander past an onion bhaji the size of a small frisbee (£3.50), sniff the most pimped-up doughnuts we’ve ever seen (£11 for four) and chomp on freshly-fried churros, dunked into hot chocolate sauce (£5). The kids already think this is the best holiday ever.
If that wasn’t enough of a treat for one day, endless skies light up lush green fields, ravishing rape flowers and whirring wind turbines on our way to Harrington (another 15-minute drive away and full of long winding roads and pictureperfect cottages) to try the awardwinning fare at the Tollemache Arms (thetolly.co.uk).
Portions are enormous, service is wonderful and the food is great. Back at the farm, we head over to Avalanche Adventure (avalancheadventure.co.uk), set up by Jasper’s late son and his best friend Robin, where we watch 4x4s wheel-spinning through muddy mounds as they whizz around the off-road tracks, and wait for our clay pigeon shooting slot.
How to plan your trip
Lodges at Brook Meadow start from £470 for a four-night midweek break, and £510 for a three-night weekend, sleeping four people. Non-electric grass camping costs from £24 per night, peak season, including one vehicle and tent or caravan, or one camper/ motorhome, and two people.
Farm tours are available to book from reception, costing £5 per adult, £3 per child. Hampers can be delivered daily. Bakery baskets from £8. To book, visit brookmeadow.co.uk.