Stepney

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if you could shake off city stress for a couple of hours and get back to nature, boosting your mental wellbeing, reducing anxiety and feeling more connected to your community - all without leaving London and costing no more than a grateful donation? Welcome to the fabulous city farms in London. All of the farms listed have important charitable and community activities at their centre. Many of them have opportunities for volunteers to help out if you have time to spare; if not then please go as large as you can with your donation, as the farms rely heavily on visitors’ generosity. Central Vauxhall City Farm This is the most central and one of the oldest of the city farms; animals to cosy up with here include chinchillas, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, plus alpacas, goats and sheep. Buy grassnuts from the farm to feed the larger animals or go for some great add-on extras, all of which help support the farm. You can book 10 minutes in the Cuddle Corner with the smaller animals for just , buy a voucher for a 20-minute ‘Meet & Greet’ for two with a Vauxhall City Farm animal of your choice for - or splash out and get to be a farmer for a whole day. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:30am-4:00pm (last entry at 3.30pm) Entry: Free: suggested minimum donation of per person (but you can do better than that) Cafe: The Old Dairy: hot and cold drinks and snacks. There is also Faith’s Place, a farm bar that opens during evening events. Online donations here. Cheapo Top Tip: Don’t get there too late if you want to feed the animals, as the farm will stop selling feed once the animals have had their allocated amount for the day. North Kentish Town City Farm This lovely relaxed farm has goats, sheep, chickens and geese, 3 horses, 2 donkeys, Shirley the cow, pigs Wilma & Betty, two farm cats and various small animals, as well as a community garden and a wildlife pond. Simply immerse yourself in farm life, wander around and explore the barns and pastures to see what animals you can find. Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: N/A Online donations here. Freightliners City Farm, Islington A small community farm, Freightliners is home to sheep, goats, cows and poultry, including some rare breeds. Again, you can just amble around the 2.5 acre site and make animal pals as you go. There is a shop selling handmade arty bits and pieces, children’s books and, um, bags of rotted manure; well, we did say you’d be going back to nature. Hours: Monday, Wednesday-Sunday 10.30am-3.30pm; Tuesday: closed Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: N/A Online donations here. Belmont Farm, Mill Hill It’s hard to believe that this working farm in a countryside valley has a London postcode. Meet over 20 different varieties of animals including goats, cows, sheep, donkeys, birds, pigs and ponies, plus llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs and giant rabbits. Read that list again and tell me this isn’t a fabulous date idea. Hours: Monday-Sunday 10.30am-4pm; hours extend slightly in summer (April-September) Entry: Adults ; children - Cafe: The farm cafe has coffee, all-day breakfasts and homemade cakes and pastries, with an all-day menu planned; there is also a farm shop, fromagerie and bakery. Online donations: N/A East Spitalfields City Farm At this characterful city farm there are pigs, donkeys, sheep and goats as well as ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs and June the farm cat; you can book to feed the smaller animals, take a ferret for a walk or get up close and help groom the donkeys and goats. There’s also a community garden, farm garden and nursery where they grow vegetables, herbs and flowers that they sell to the public. If you happen to visit during spring, the butterfly and wildlife gardens are particularly gorgeous. The farm also runs after-hours ticketed events and special activities, including the legendary Goat Race; see their Instagram for details. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4:00pm (last entry at 3.30pm) Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: The Rosebery tea hut has a classic menu of toasties, soup, quiches and cakes Online donations here. Mudchute Farm, Isle of Dogs Mudchute is huge by inner city farm standards; 32 acres of working farmland with over 100 animals and fowl, and a focus on British rare breeds. See cows, pigs, sheep, goats and donkeys, plus donkeys, llamas, rabbits, guinea pigs and a whole range of birds. Hours: 9am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday (check online for Pets Corner times) Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: N/A Online donations here. Cheapo Top Tip: Another reason to get to the farm early is that some animals tend to disappear off to bed earlier than you’d think - around 3-4pm (earlier in the winter). Hackney City Farm There’s a lot going on at Hackney City Farm. They have sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, ducks and geese to cuddle, plus they run a great-value organic fruit and veg box scheme from their kitchen garden as well as a farmers’ market with other small, sustainable farms around London. They have an organic, plastic-free food shop, they are one of the hubs for fish and seafood suppliers Soleshare, you can buy your Christmas tree here, book a workshop or pitch up at a pottery class. Phew! That’s what we call multi-tasking. Hours: 10am-4.30pm Tuesday-Sunday Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: The Frizzante Cafe serves up an Italian-inspired menu Online donations here. Stepney City Farm This is a working farm with pigs, sheep, goats and donkeys, smaller animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets, plus chickens, ducks and geese. There’s a community kitchen and forest garden providing fresh produce for the farm shop (so please don’t pick fruit from bushes that you pass, it’s probably earmarked for somebody’s seasonal fruit and veg box). Like most farms, you can donate online; for a more immediate and personal donation, they have an Amazon wish list of 40 items they need for the farm, with many under - such a cool idea. They also have a Thursday evening yoga class at a bargainous per session and allotments to rent; the only down side is that the current waiting list for allotments is around 23 years, so if you’re interested I would put your name down sharpish. Hours: 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: The Allotment Kitchen serves lunch plus coffee and cake from Tuesday-Friday, and all-day brunch at the weekend. Online donations here. Cheapo Top Tip: For maximum cute vibes, plan a visit in spring when the baby animals start making an appearance. South Oasis City Farm, Waterloo The small but mighty half-acre farm specialises in working with disadvantaged young people, in partnership with Jamie’s Farm; consequently you can only visit on set open days, about once a month - see the website for details. The farm animals live between here and Jamie’s Farm but there will usually be piglets, lambs and chickens. They also have a lovely walled garden and a kitchen garden which grows produce you can buy during your visit - a great win-win way of supporting the farm! Hours: 1pm-4pm open days only - see website for details Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: N/A Online donations here. Deen City Farm, Wimbledon There are between 120-150 animals at this farm, including cows, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, farm cats, ferrets - and Archimedes the Northern White-Faced Owl, amongst other birds. Animal feed is available for per bag. Avoid too much kiddie competition in your Meet and Greet sessions with the small animals by booking during termtime weekdays if you can: times are: 11:30-12:00 & 14:30-15:00 (please note these times are dependant on staff and animal availability). Altenatively groups of up to six can book 30-minute sessions with the larger animals at per person for goats and sheep and per person for the donkeys. If you really want to relax with nature though, they also run Goat Yoga classes at per hour; kind of like puppy yoga, but with sociable and inquisitive goats butting in (see what we did there?) to your practice. Hours: 10:00-4:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: Brioche Farmhouse offers home-made cakes, breakfast, brunch and lunch Online donations here. Surrey Docks Farm Meet all the usual farm suspects including goats, sheep, pigs, cows, a miniature Shetland pony, donkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, poultry and bees. Volunteer numbers permitting, there is a ‘Meet the Small Animal’ session from 12:30-1pm every Saturday where you can get up close and stroke the rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and chickens for just , or a private Meet the Animals experience which allows a maximum of 2 people to visit their chosen animals and enjoy a minimum 30-minute session for - . For the ultimate in farm visits you can help bottle-feed the lambs at 12:45pm and 4:40pm, for just . Slots are understandably popular and sell out quickly; check their website on Tuesdays between 9am and 11am for the next week's bookings. And if that hasn't left you blissfully de-stressed, you can even join a yoga class on the farm. Hours: Daily 10am-4pm Entry: Free: donations welcome Cafe: There is a small takeaway cafe called The Barn on the Thames Path, and an excellent farm shop Online donations here. West While there doesn't seem to be a city farm with a west London postcode, Vauxhall is probably nearest or you can head out to Hounslow Urban Farm.

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