FINCHINGFIELD LAVENDER
Est 2018
Visit us
LAVENDER FESTIVAL
17th August 2024
NORMAL OPENING HOURS (tickets only)
Oxeye daisies and wild flower meadow:
Friday 7th June - 24th June.
Friday - Sunday only.
9 - 5pm.
Lavender field and picking:
Thursday 27th June (weather dependent) - August 25th Tuesday - Sunday.
Sunday 11th Aug CLOSED for a private event for Safron Walden Mencap Society Summer BBQ
We are a small and friendly Lavender farm and campsite and like to keep things quiet and peaceful for the enjoyment of our day visitors and campers. Therefore, we have a limited number of day visitors permitted each day. Online bookings only.
What to expect:
We have a cafe on site serving hot and cold drinks, delicious cakes and savoury baked goods for lunch or a well earned treat.
Afternoon tea picnic boxes are available to pre-order as they are made freshly offsite, although we do keep a couple spare so always ask.
In the lavender field you will find deck chairs, sun loungers, chairs and picnic blankets so why not bring a picnic or pre- order one of our delicious picnic boxes and relax amongst the lavender.
We have one composting toilet on site which is just for day visitors.
Accessibility:
The field is flat, as is the access from the carpark to the lavender field. But we are a meadow field and have no hard standing. We have plenty of wheelchairs and mobility scooters assess the field with no issue, however everyones needs are different so please get in touch if you have any questions.
Please note that the toilet has two steps up to it.
Dogs:
No dogs allowed as we are a no dog campsite and we have lots of fluffy chickens, runner ducks and a cheeky couple of Chinese geese.
Pre-booked afternoon tea picnic box
Pre-order when you buy your ticket. Available only up to 48 hours before your arrival. Veggie, vegan and gluten free options available. For any other allergies or dietary requirements you can select the option to purchase with your ticket and email us your dietary requirements.
Each picnic box contains:
Selection of finger sandwiches (1 round)
Homemade Cumberland sausage roll
Broccoli & cheddar quiche
Freshly baked homemade fruit scone
served with clotted cream & strawberry jam
Freshly baked triple chocolate brownie
one tea or coffee from our cafe
Gift Voucher
Treat yourself or a loved one to a serene escape at our enchanting Lavender Farm. Enjoy entrance to our fragrant fields, indulge in the therapeutic experience of handpicking your own lavender, and unwind with a delightful afternoon tea, complete with freshly brewed coffee or tea. Perfect for creating cherished memories amidst nature's beauty. £26.50 per person.
THE LAVENDER
Lavandula × intermedia 'Grosso' is known for its deep purple flowers and powerful aroma which carries across the meadow as the plant releases oil from its leaves in the heat. The purple haze on the landscape starts in July and gradually deepens over a few weeks and lasts right up until September.
We have lump clay soil in this part of Essex, lavender loves poor quality free draining soil so lots of stone and wood chip was needed to improve the drainage before planting. 80 tonnes of stone and 30 tonnes of woodchip were spread over the field and then shallow ploughed into the soil. We customised a Norfolk potato plough with the help of Phil the Farmer into a Lavender row ridger and then ridged our flower beds to provide even more drainage.
Here on the farm we harvest by hand as it's the quickest way to cut and bunch for a farm of our size. The lavender is then hung in our drying shed until dry and ready for sale. We also make oil which is used in candles and other products.
GET INVOLVED
Whether your visit coincides with Easter tree planting, wild flower seed broadcasting or Lavender harvest we have plenty to do here on the farm. Get in touch and arrange a fun filled day of getting back to nature and seeing instant results of your hard days work.
Volunteer at harvest:
During the first two weeks of July we harvest part of the field, leaving the rest looking beautiful for visitors. We harvest to make oil and also dried lavender products.
Voluenteers are needed for an shift between 8am - 12pm.
Tea and coffee and water is provided as well as an afternoon tea box per person to be enjoyed in the lavender field after the shift.
Voluenteers will be required to help cut the fresh blooms for dried bunches and oil harvesting, weeding and any other harvest related jobs.
If you would like to Voluenteer please email hello@finchingfieldcaming.co.uk
How it all began
We are not actually quite sure how or why we are here.... but we craved the countryside and cycled around many of the surrounding villages and Finchingfield and fell in love with the area. I'm pretty sure some wine was then involved, shortly after a few searches on the internet for land for sale and that was it... the serious business plan and research began. A year later in 2015 the gravity and reality hit as we collected the keys of a 'project' farmhouse in need a lot of love and hard graft and 9 acres of grassland.
We set about our smallholding adventure in to create a beautiful landscape to share and live on and from. While working full time in our 'normal jobs' and commuting we worked on the field to prep for planting. In the meantime potting up and growing 5000 little bushy lavenders ready to be planted a year later.
One and a half acres of the grassland is now home to 27 rows filled with 4,500 deep purple Lavender Grosso all hand planted in June 2018 with the help of friends family and our fabulous neighbours.
The rest of the field has been left to self seed and is flourishing with native wild orchids, ox-eye Daisy, cornflowers and poppies. The campsite part of the acreage is set within the wildflower meadow with mowed pathways leading to facilities and pitches.
Every year we add and tweak to make things more beautiful and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.
