Hounslow Urban Farm

Just ten minutes walk from Hatton Cross on the Piccadilly Line is Hounslow Urban Farm, situated within the grounds of Hatton Cross Cemetery.

Being Bank Holiday, there was plenty going on, from karoake to ferret and pig races to owl demonstrations, not to mention the opportunity to handle some of the animals (or should I say animals and reptiles), including snakes, tortoises, baby goats, rabbits and newborn chicks just out of the egg.

Spread over several acres, there are sheep, goats, ponies, donkeys, llamas, peacocks, owls, ducks, turkeys, guinea pigs and several other small rodents, who looked sweet.

The Farm was full of children; the Bank Holiday activities were especially aimed at the younger visitors, though I also held one of the baby goats - but drew the line at the snakes!    Somehow, I can't understand how anyone could like snakes!

There is also a very nice cafe on the site, where the menu is limited, but the food is very good.   I had a toasted cheese and pickle sandwich, which was absolutely delicious, and the accompanying salad was fresh and tasty.   The only downside was the size of the chairs in the annexe, which were designed for a slightly younger age group - about 6.7 year olds I would think from the size of them.   ut who cares, when the food was so good!

You could buy food to give to the animals from the booking office cum shop; someone gave me some as I went in, which I passed on to a child, who would probably gain much more pleasure from getting the animals to eat out of her hand than I would.

Luckily, it didn't rain or snow during the afternoon; it was just bitterly cold, except when the wind dropped and the sun came out, when it was lovely.

Hounslow Urban Farm is definitely a place to take children, especially in the summer; most of them would happily spend all day there.