We hope you will find the answer to most questions, below. If there’s anything else we can help with, please use the contact form on this website or use Facebook messenger. It will usually get a quicker response than leaving a telephone message.
We’ve split the questions into sections.
Questions about the party type
Questions about changing order or location
Questions about the catering and party barns
PARTY TYPES (back to top)
What’s the difference between a DIY / Little COMBI party and your tour guide parties … do I get a tour guide? Do I still get to do everything?
Only tour guide parties get a tour guide. DIY parties are for smaller parties and you SELF TOUR. The advantage of a DIY is you set your own agenda once on the farm and you can take part in everything the farm has to offer. You should have time to do both the tractor trailer ride and the pony sit on. Each child gets a bucket of food. The birthday child should get a birthday sticker (ask if not) and you can point this out to our in-situ staff and they should make a fuss of your child.
I have a tour guide party booked but I want both activities – the tractor ride and the pony sit on!
We are sorry, the tour guide party only has ONE of the activities: the tractor trailer ride OR the pony sit on. We run on a tight schedule and there’s not time for both.
I have booked a party but want to change the theme/activity, is that possible?
You can contact us to change the theme/activity from pony to tractor or vice versa
CHANGING THINGS (back to top)
Can I eat in the play barn instead of the farm?
We are sorry, other than the Afternoon BIG COMBI parties and the DIY Little COMBI parties (which do eat in the play barn), the play barn have their own parties scheduled in their eating spaces. If you aren’t booking one of those and really want to eat at the play barn, we advise you to book a play barn party instead and ask about adding a farm add-on to the end or start of that. That type of add-on would be “self-tour”/DIY once on the farm.
I want to change the order of my party (e.g. eat before the tour or go to the play barn at a different time). Is that possible?
We are sorry, our schedule is set up so that the parties run smoothly, one after each other. They are also timed so that the arrival at the play barn is usually outside of their peak time, so by changing the order it’s harder for us to deliver the best party for you. We are sorry to disappoint but as we have more than one party per day, each gets a space at a certain time, which can’t be altered.
PARTY BARNS AND PARTY FOOD (back to top)
When you book, you choose hot or cold food (you can switch, just email). When you arrive your food order will be taken. We prefer this to advance orders as on the day as it’s simpler … children change their mind or they may not attend due to illness, so the carefully presented advance list falls apart. Hot food is burgers and chips etc. It’s also a chance for allergies to be explained. Choices on the day include a vegetarian option (usually vegetarian sausage). Cold food is sandwiches and crisps etc. There’s a fruit shoot or juice included and a kit-kat, too. We can cater for most single allergies but if a guest has mutiple severe allergies, then please contact us … it may be less stressful for you if the parent sends or brings food.
Can I get into the party space to decorate it before my party?
This is usually possible but we don’t guarantee it. Please don’t arrive super-early as there may be a preceding party. If the room is occupied, the farm cafe will do their best to help you.
Can I bring a cake? Will you store it for me?
Most parties bring a cake. The cafe can store it for you in our supplies shed … but we do not have a dedicated fridge. It is cooler in there but on very hot days it is a risk with butter-icing, so please take that into consideration. If you are doing a PLAY FIRST party there is the issue that you will be arriving at the play barn first. You can bring the cake down to us though. Ask at the play barn when you arrive if you aren’t sure what to do.
Can I bring food and drink for the adults?
With the exception of the birthday cake, it is no longer permitted to bring your own food; this is a catered party and the introduction of outside food raises many health and safety issues for us as you may have allergies within your party, or food may go off if sat in heat. Should you wish to provide food for adults, we offer trays of sandwiches and bowls of chips at a relatively low price so please consider that. The cafe is nearby for hot and cold drinks and ice creams, too.
When do you take the food orders? And what about vegetarians and allergies?
We take the food order at the start of the party. It’s better for us than getting the choices in advance as then children can choose what they want on the day and we get a chance to discuss allergies. It’s less hassle for you, too. We can cater for most dietary requirements and have vegetarian and vegan options. If a child has multiple or severe allergies then we suggest they bring their own food as we cannot guarantee no cross-contamination. Multiple allergies can become difficult to cater for but we can fall back on a baked potato half with beans, which most children can eat.
THE BILL, NUMBERS, PAYING FOR ADULTS (back to top)
When do I pay my balance? Do you need to know about more/less children?
You’ve paid a deposit in advance of £100 for farm parties. On the day, we count up the numbers and that’s what your bill is based on! The balance of the bill is presented to you near the end of your visit. Please check it carefully. We don’t need to know about small changes in numbers as we assume small changes on the day as plans alter. We calculate any free adults for the Tour parties on the day, too.
What happens with siblings of guests? Do they have to pay?
We discourage uninvited siblings of guests attending (with the exception of brothers and sisters of the birthday child). They will need to pay separately should they turn up. Our party guide works best when focused on the guests and if there’s additional, different-aged children attending, they can distract from the party children. You are putting on a party for your child’s friends, not your child’s friends’ families. However, should an attending parent be unable to leave their uninvited child(ren) at home, they should pay on arrival at the front desk for either a farm or combi ticket and at all times try to keep them occupied a little distance away from the main party group. They will not be included in the meal. We appreciate this is awkward but it is best to be clear with your guests from the start that it is invitees only and avoid what can become a grey area. Alternatively, should you wish, you could include them in your party numbers and your meal and pay for them as an additional guest. They would then be treated as one of the group and you could arrange payment from the parent to yourself for that. Of course babes in arms are not charged so if a parent has a newly born, that they need to bring along, that’s no problem. Just please ensure the tour guide knows not to include them in the count.
The Children's Farm 