Ice-cream with extra sprinkles please (Cheshire Ice Cream Farm)

Member Name: hillcrestsan

Product:	Cheshire Ice Cream Farm
Date:	07/01/08 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plenty to do for very little outlay

Disadvantages: Only good for 90 mins by itself

This one of the little jewels where you can take the kids when the weather is a bit miserable. Not that the place itself has a lot of time-killing value, but coupled with a trip to the Candle Workshop 4 miles away it gives you part of a full day out.

The farm is a working farm situated on the Cheshire plain about 4 miles off the a41, 10 miles from Chester. If you\'re on the A41, just follow the brown signs.It has grown and grown over the last 10 years and offers a lot of different activities for children and adults.
It costs nothing to get it, they make their money from purchases whilst you\'re there. Central to the attraction is the ice-cream. They have around 30 different flavours for sale, all of them tempting and most of them award-winning. The certificates, if proof was needed adorn the walls. As well as the usual chocolate and vanilla there are the more unusual apple pie and custard, Baileys, Mocha coffee bean and lots more. You can choose various different cones, combinations and sauces etc. A single cone is around £1.30. if you want a tub to take home, all the flavours are there at a reasonable price. Certainly not Haagan Daas (or however you spell it) prices.

Next to the ice-cream shop there is a cafe which serves drinks, hot meals and sandwiches - not especially cheaply and a rather bizarre little gift shop which is akin to a poundstore with similar diverse and slightly surreal products and bargain prices. It gives the kids somewhere to buy rubbish so it\'s quite clever really, especially when I have a daughter who likes to fill her room with naff ornaments.
The site offers a range of other little \'asides\' which are free and give the kids something to do without costing money.

There is a farm shop which sells lots of yummy organic produce at the usual high prices. their bread is especially nice at around £1.30 for a nice crusty loaf if my memory serves me right. They also sell fresh fruit and veg and frozen stuff. All looks very delicious. There are also lots of preserves, pates and fresh meat.
There is a playground with lots of climbing frames and assault course type playthings. Good for anyone over 2. There is a small children\'s farm with pigs, donkeys and goats as well as a rabbit run with LOADS of rabbits in it.

If you go at the right time of the day (late afternoon), you get to watch the cows being miked from a viewing gallery.
For the under 3\'s there is a play barn with ride on tractors and cars on a little indoor track.

Attached to the farm by the entrance is a bird of prey display but I\'ve never been in and I think there may be a small charge for this.
Nearby you can find the Candle Workshop in Burwardsley where the kids can do lots of different cheap activities with spectacular views such as badge making, candle dipping, painting and lots others. Follow the brown signs.

Overall, this is a really good place as part of a day out. I don\'t think you\'d ever spend more than 90 mins here but if you go to Burwardsley as well then you\'ll fill a day. it's never crowded but always busy and is well used for a small attraction. Cyclists often stop off there. Wholly recommend it!

Originally posted on Ciao by myself - dhillcrest

Summary: Great half-day out