At the end of summer, I made an autumn bucket list to help me embrace the colder months, and the first item I included was pumpkin picking.
However, it wasn’t the first task I crossed off.
One evening, while watching TV, I indulged in a rich hot chocolate that was almost too decadent.
I sent out invites for our Thanksgiving dinner and just moments ago ordered a dining table to prepare for our guests.
The activity I was most excited about trying—something entirely new to me—was pumpkin picking. Now that I’ve experienced it, I realize it might not be the most thrilling activity out there, but it’s always been on my list, and I can’t deny it filled me with that perfect autumn vibe (which was the goal of my list)!
Where to Go Pumpkin Picking
After a bit of quick research online, I found a pumpkin farm not too far from London: Stanhill Farm in Wilmington. My friend Jules has a car and shares my enthusiasm for autumnal outings, so on a sunny October Saturday, we hopped in her car and drove down to Kent.
The weather was absolutely perfect: the sun was shining, the sky was brilliant blue, and it almost felt like a summer day if you closed your eyes and imagined pools and sundresses, which is my ideal fall weather.
After about two hours, we arrived and made our way straight to the pick-your-own pumpkin patch.
What Is Pumpkin Picking Like?
Once we parked the car, we grabbed a wheelbarrow resting along the fence of the pumpkin patch. We ventured into the field, taking photos and posing while looking for the perfect pumpkins that we intended to carve later.
However, just five minutes after our arrival, we had found our pumpkins, taken several photos, and began to wonder if we had missed something…
To be honest, the experience felt a bit underwhelming. I should mention that we were the only adults there without children – it seemed more suited for families than for adults looking to check an item off a bucket list.
Pumpkin picking is quite straightforward: you go to the farm, pick your pumpkins, and pay for them based on weight. At Stanhill Farm, there’s a lovely farm shop and picnic area; if we had been better prepared, we could have made more of a day out of it.
Instead, we decided to drive back via Box Hill and stopped at a quaint country pub for a satisfying lunch before heading home.
Pumpkin Carving
Upon returning home, we began carving our pumpkins, and I quickly realized I forgot to take more photos… my bad!
I carved two pumpkins: one using a traditional method (with a mini saw from a toolkit I bought at Sainsbury’s), which turned into a bit of disaster due to my desire to overcomplicate the design, and the other using a drill. The drilling method was not only incredibly simple but also produced a great look and was far more enjoyable than cutting with a saw.
To minimize waste, I separated and cleaned the seeds for roasting (they make a delicious snack) and saved as much of the flesh as possible to make a yummy soup, which turned out wonderfully. #PumpkinEverything
Sloe Gin Making
Feeling inspired, I decided to tackle another item on my list: making my own sloe gin.
I ordered sloe berries from eBay, grabbed a bottle of Gordon’s gin from Sainsbury’s (but you can also get it here if you’re a Prime member) and found some glass bottles at The Source (similar ones are available on Amazon).
I filled the bottles halfway with sloe berries, topped them with gin, sealed them, and placed the labels (which conveniently came with the berries). All I need to do now is turn the bottles every few days, and by Christmas, I’ll hopefully have a bottle of flavorful sloe gin ready for enjoyment.
All in all, it was a lovely way to spend an autumn Saturday. I can’t say I’ll rush back to a pumpkin farm next year, but I’m certainly glad I checked this off my autumn bucket list!
Have you been pumpkin picking? What did you think?
 spice up my autumn, I went on a mini adventure from London to a pumpkin picking farm in Kent. Here's what it was like!){kind=link}