Jimmy’s Farm Christmas Market

The snow has finally cleared in this part of Essex, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to visit Jimmy’s Farm which is just a few miles away from us at Wherstead on the outskirts of Ipswich, and which had a christmas market on this weekend.

We normally take the scenic route through Manningtree and the villages when we go to Ipswich. Today though we took the quickest route – straight up the A12. That did mean that we went past Hall Farm – which is a lovely place to visit for lunch and a bit of Christmas shopping- they have a very tempting farm shop selling local produce shop, and there are wonderful views over the Stour Valley.

It’s a few years since we went to Jimmy’s and it has certainly changed a lot. After all the snow   it was very muddy in the car park so we donned our wellies and prepared to look around.

There’s a lovely new restaurant inside one of the old barns, a small clothes shop selling childrens and adult clothes, and a little gift and garden shop which at this time of the year is stocked with lots of  pretty Christmas decorations and garden gifts.

The famous Essex pigs are still in residence – and they certainly looked happy in their little corrugated houses. The herb and vegetable gardens looked a bit flattened after all the snow but in the summer they will be wonderful.

There was live music, and the Christmas market had selection of stalls selling local produce – so we left with a selection of bottled beer from the St Peter’s brewery in Bungay, local russett apples, and some hot chilli chutney direct from the Chilli Farm, a consolation prize as we had hoped to get to the Chilli Farm’s own Christmas Fair this weekend.

And of course – although we didn’t go to see him – Father Christmas was in residence – with a queue of little people waiting to meet him.