A Trip to Streamvale Farm🐄

                        

                                                                 

                              A Trip to Streamvale Farm

The Perfect Halloween Fun 

As Halloween approaches, it only means one thing, a trip to the pumpkin patch! Streamvale Farm, located just 15 minutes outside of Belfast's City Centre, is the perfect spot to select your pumpkin and partake in a variety of Halloween and farm-themed activities.

This is exactly what my friends and I decided to do, to bring the spirit of Halloween to life in a fun and inviting way. On Wednesday 23rd October, we ventured to the pumpkin patch where the unique experience of fetching a glass bottle of fresh milk from a vending machine was conveniently available at the farm entrance. The evening was filled with thrilling activities that created lasting memories and perfectly captured the festive season. 

                                                     @savvysipswithsophie

Milk Vending Machine

As we approached the entrance of the farm, we spotted a vending machine. Curiously walking over, we discovered it was no ordinary vending machine; it dispensed glass bottles for filling with fresh milk from the farm. 

We purchased the glass bottle for £2.50, with the milk costing £1.50 per litre. There were numerous flavours to choose from such as vanilla, marshmallow, cream egg, strawberry, salted caramel and blue bubble gum; I opted for a mix of vanilla and salted caramel. The process was simple; first, you grab the glass bottle from the machine, then add your chosen flavour, and finally, collect your milk from the dispenser. It was a quick and efficient three-step process to enjoy fresh, flavourful milk!

On the milk dispensing machine was a poster displaying interesting information about the milk. It highlighted some fun facts I hadn't known before; the farm prioritises local buying, which reduces food miles by supporting local farmers. The cows that produce the milk are exclusively grass-fed and spend most of the year outdoors, labelling them as free range. Additionally, the farm maintains a low carbon footprint by feeding their cows grass, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, enriching the farmland soil. 

Overall this was a fun and unique experience, offering something different from a typical vending machine, along with delicious fresh farm milk. 

                                                     @savvysipswithsophie

Farm Experience 

After concocting our bottles of milk, we headed into the farm for a fun night! There were many activities on offer allowing us to fulfil some childhood activities. 

First, we headed to the 'cuddle corner' where we got to hold and cuddle some new-born, 10-week-old puppies. We stopped for some light bites in the barn, then headed into the bouncy castle area and next went on the quad-barrel ride. After we completed those activities, we went into the pumpkin patch to explore and find the perfect shaped pumpkin to carve to take home. There were wheel-barrows, big and small, to collect our chosen pumpkin with many photo opportunities along the way. Finally, we ended our night by collecting a bag of sweets on our way out. 

These memorable moments of the farm combined with the fun of creating the milk from the vending machine, truly made it a sip to savour.