Middle Farm in Lewes

I was disappointed with the Easter holiday visit to Middle Farm. We booked this for the four of us (two adults, two kids) and when we arrived, we’re greeted by a very unfriendly lady who was rude and unwelcoming. The goat feeding was short and again, supervised by someone with clearly no love of her job. Small animal ‘handling’, was a 20 minute queue that ended in one minute of stroking a Guinea Pig that we were not allowed to pick up! There was no map or description of where the scheduled activities took place and I had to ask the staff where to go. The day continued to be a disappointment and poor value for money. Whilst walking around I could also hear other parents complaining about how short the animal sessions were. It’s a 2 star rather than 1 star as the playgrounds were ok and the animals looked in good condition. We won’t be coming again.

A very nice farm with good food and nice little shops. We stopped here for lunch as part of a booked tour. Even though it was crowded, the service was great and we got the food without much delay. It was all very fresh and tasty food at very reasonable prices. This is a must visit spot (I'd say so even if it is just for the fresh meals). We tried a jacket potato, Cornish pasty, sausage rolls, quiche and some cakes. The coffee and hazelnut cake was superb. All of their food was excellent and served with fresh veggies. We quickly browsed through the shops and were impressed. It was a little sad that we didn't get to spend more time here. This is indeed a must visit!

Great selection of Cider & Mead plus wonderful cuts of meat, cheeses & various other farm products

Wonderful place. I really enjoyed my visit!

Excellent farm produce good variety. Love the cider.

Visited the farm this week with two of my children. Lots to do including meeting/feeding animals, hay barn fun, parks & cafe. The staff are all very friendly & cafe served great coffee/cake. Nice to spend the morning looking around this farm, will be back soon. And under 3s go free which is appreciated! Also managed to get vehicle stuck in mud on arrival. Gary came to our rescue & pulled it out by tractor about 10 minutes later (a experience in itself for the kids) wonderful assistance cheers Gary😊

The staff are Very friendly and the farm has a great selection of farm yard animals to see .loads of pigs snoring away and still quieter than the missus. Llamas and goats were a hit without 2 year old grandson . The tea room was good ,,the home made food was really nice .I had the ploughmans which was lovely and the wife had the ham and cheese quiche ,she enjoyed it satisfactuarly . Only down point was the cola which wasnt the best. Overall a good place to visit.👍

Came here to have lunch, pasties very tasty but very difficult to cut with very blunt knives. Service was quick

I have visited the farm on numerous occasions with my grandchildren and it is superb. It is still ‘natural’ and has managed to avoid the financial seduction of commercialism. The farm is peaceful and its location equisite For parents home educating their children, the farm offers lots of educational information and presented in a multi sensory way. An example of this was evidenced in an eye catching but simple display showing the development of a chicken embryo. The entrance charge includes feed for the animals and is low enough so one doesn’t feel compelled to stay for hours. There is lots of room for picnicing etc. Staff are constantly present and on hand with advice. Staff are obviously highly valued by the management and devoted to the care of the animals. There are lots of areas for hand washing. It’s wonderful to go to a place where the balance of interest by the owners is still animal and farm based. Whenever we have eaten in the cafe the food is of the highest quality and presented beautifully.

Food was good and service excellent. Farm shop also very extensive

Recently moved to Eastbourne and was looking for a nice place to shop for groceries. Found this while driving around the area. Lovely place with a huge selection of artisan and local products. Vegetable selection is massive and primarily locally sourced. They have chicken eggs and duck eggs from their own farm. So far my favourite place to shop for produce in this area. Nice place to get coffee too and had mulled cider in their cider shop. Plenty of selection, will be coming back here every week!

Love this place, fantastic coffee shop, great cakes and staff are great. The farm shop has great local produce, well worth a visit.

A wonderful day out especially with children.

Lovely place, great farm, nice cafe and lovely shop and cute ducks too! They also now have a fantastic range of local and regional beers and wines. This includes low alcohol, gluten free, low sulphite and ciders, mead, and gins.

Great little farm with pleasant store and tea house. Really enjoyed our stop here.

My niece from Australia remarked........."what a crabby old biddy" in the gift shop where you buy the tickets, at the entrance to the animal enclosures.

Lovely cafe, friendly people, excellent cider and mead

Fantastic produce and great staff

Lovley day out, nice little family farm. Excellent in lambing season. Top quality cider barn and lovley cafe

A good cafe, with reasonable prices, a farm shop, another shop selling many different types of cider and beer, some of which can be sampled, and some sort of area for interaction with farm animals. All in all a good experience from the visit, my cream tea was best

The quiche was absolutely amazing and well made ,can tell is made with quality ingredients 10/10 😁😁

Love this place. My depression is always helped whenever I drop in here.

Outstanding farm shop with a fantastic range of high quality products. An unrivalled range of real ciders from all over the UK. Artisan food and drinks many of which you won't find anywhere else. I always visit whenever I am in Sussex, well worth going out of your way to visit

Come here for the animals, stay for Janet's jungle juice.

Great lunch in the lovely cafe......whole site well organised.....hand-washing facilities.....all clean n tidy.....happy well-looked after animals......enjoyable for small children....impressive......

Great produce with a wide selection at very fair prices. Cider Barn is a revelation for those who like it and also really friendly staff happy to talk you through it or introduce you to something new

Cosy and very reasonable coffee shop. Good nursery and well stocked farm shop

This is a very respectable working farm that has built a great business out of everything they do, from serving food to selling chickens. Only 3 stars because of the tea rooms: The food was delicious but there was no rush to clear the tables from previous diners. A young worker, who was BEHIND ME in the queue, got fully served and paid before me, without an explanation or a "do you mind..?" Our table was sticky too. When our food came, the lady went to finally clear the left plates, spilt over a little water from a glass and never returned to wipe it up for us. Upon reading other reviews, this isn't a one off

Lovely place to spend time with friends, children, family something for very one.

Went back to visit after moving away for a few years. Forgotten how awesome this place is. The ploughman's lunch was the best. And the range of ciders was as good as I remember.

Stopped in to the farm shop to get some ingredients for lunch. Lovely, well-stocked shop but treated poorly by a rude staff member. Stepped outside the shop door to consult my partner on my items before purchasing as there was no phone signal inside, was pretty much chased by the staff member telling me not to take baskets outside. Totally unnecessary considering the rural location and the fact I was about 1m out the door speaking to my partner (CLEARLY not about to steal). Then was told off again for exiting the wrong way from the shop, heaven forbid I would clog up a totally EMPTY walkway into the farm shop… The rules are fair enough in practice but when it’s totally empty, your staff seriously need to think about how barking these rules makes paying customers feel.

Very disappointed in your cider shop today. We bought a £25 bottle of sparkling elderberry wine (GWIN BLODAU YSGAWEN) last Friday and discovered after opening that it tasted off and the bottom was full of brown sediment. Complete disinterest from the staff when trying to return it today. They gave me a load of rubbish about that being normal sometimes. We've always loved the farm shop but as frequent customers this has been a very poor experience.

Great little farm shop with a pleasant cafe and well stocked deli. The highlight is the selection of cider and perry, there is a wide choice of both cask bottles.

Extreme poor food, uncooked pastry, very dry filling in the pasty. Have been here on many times over the last 30years and todays meal were the worst. I don’t think £2 for 1/2 cherry tomato, 3 slice of cucumber and 2 slices of pepper and a few leaves is acceptable. Pasty served on its own - no salad Bottle of water - no glass provided Won’t be back. Farm shop very poor. Only good bit of the whole visit was the cider shop.

Excellent farm shop, great quality and reasonable price.

Delicious toasted salad and cake. Very friendly staff and relaxing location.

Lovely little farm. Have taken my children here a few times and they always really enjoy themselves. 😊

Reasonably priced day out. We haven’t been since children were toddlers, so it was nice to return. Children loved the hay barn in particular. The meet and greet and feeding sessions were lovely. More toilets within the farm itself are required. Coffee excellent. Good farm and cider shop stocking local produce.

Nice farm where you can buy plants and enjoy coffee bar

Nice farm, lovely staff, lots to see, however I can't help but think why are animals in cages/pens and not free, all in all our kids enjoyed playing and exploring, I personally take our children to see animals in the wild and free, I can only see in time farms will slowly leave us, however this farm was not to busy and lots of space for young ones to run wild.

Lovely staff, clean and animals all looked happy

We really enjoyed our visit. The café, the plant shop, the farm shop with fresh delicious meat and vegetables and of course the cider shop with it's tasting options. Brilliant afternoon

I used to come here when I was a kid so it’s been a while and was so lovely to visit with my 6YO. It’s just perfect for a day out with littles and so reasonable at £7per person with animals to see, lots of areas to play and they put on a day of events too! We really had the most lovely day arrived at 11 and didn’t leave til nearly 4pm! It’s great for adults too, a perfect balance: farm shop with amazing ciders and wines and gift shop with lovely bits, and then the plant nursery is just gorgeous, so reasonably priced and I really wanted to buy everything! Recommend a visit for sure!

Great Farm shop, Coffee shop and incredible Cider Barn with a massive range of Ciders, Perry's and Gins from local small batch producers

Love it here especially the Butchers and the Cider shop.

I took my niece and granddaughter for a day out to Middle Farm, and there are aspects I don't like; I'm not happy seeing animals in cages and tiny pens, but the animals look well loked after. There's also no shade from the sun for some animals in the big fields. The staff are always lovely and we had a nice couple.of hours there. I love the tea room, the farm shop and all the others stuff they have there. It's just the whole animal in small enclosures that is upsetting. The young pigs are in stalls, desperate for interaction being the intelligent animals they are, it was just heartbreaking seeing them isolated and in concrete stalls.

Came to middle farm because i heard great things about this place. But in the cafe the girl with glasses made me feel very rushed and was quite pushy with me when i ordered. The young boy and girl who bought my drinks and food out were lovely. The food was great but that one girl just ruined the experience.

Just a review of the cafe, it's ok. Nice setting and friendly staff but tables do not get cleared, which then means the birds are all over your table. Food was ok, coffee is not good. Pretty place though

The grandkids loved it and the food in the tea room was fab .

Well that was an experience, not to be repeated. Lady at the tearoom counter was so rude, what happened to customer service? Will be voting with my feet, so that is the last time I will visit.

This lovely shop is located on the road between Lewes and Rye. A variety of ciders can be tasted and wine is also available. In the farm shop you can buy snacks such as cheese, bread and pastries. There is also an animal park outside, which is a great place for all ages to relax and have a good time. 2 hours should be enough time to have a good time.

Lots of stuff for kids to do, cafe and shop are very good, staff were all lovely.

A lovely farm open to public, with animals to see, local products to buy and a lovely restaurant with homemade food.

Middle farm is the best place ever! My family had a lovely day

Always a great trip out. See the animals, eat in the cafe, visit the farm shop, buy some cider.

Nice little farm, reasonable price. Good to be able to feed and pet some animals. Barn with straw bales for climbing is nice too. A lovely shop, plant selling and café too. Great for a little day out.

Nice food ,good range of cheese meats and drinks, you can also try alot of different ciders before you buy

Lovely little farm shop. Also has a great variety of farm animals to see which is perfect for families. Has a lovely cafe and also a wonderful cider selection. Can definitely recommend the pasties and the Owletts apple juice that they sell in the shop!

Love this farm! A lot of Amazing animals, birds, ducks running around you, you can pet rabbits and guinea-pigs. One of the sheeps loves to be scratch behind the ears! Wonderful afternoon with animals and yummy home made food. Will come back soon.

The lady in the shop was non friendly, I asked her about the enterence of the farm after purchasing the expensive tickets, she said. 'There is signs everywhere you can read them !' I said 'ok, Have a good day' . She answered with a tone :' I will try ') The farm itself is ok, nothing much to explore. If you are coming from outside the UK, I do not recommend it.

Great coffee, great food, good value.

Great range of good food. Pies are especially good. Recommend the apple and raspberry pie.

Arrived here specifically to buy their local steak. No butcher on duty yet all the meat on display. When asked for assistance was told ‘should have got here earlier’ as butcher finishes at 2pm. Very disappointing. Staff were extremely unhelpful and rude. Will not be visiting again.

Lovely, friendly and delicious. A perfect spot for lunch and a refreshing drink.

Love it here, the farm trail is lovely where you can meet all the animals. There's a farm shop, cafe and children's play area

Fantastic day out, my 1 year old daughter loves looking at the different animals and playing on the swings. There's plenty of space to sit and have a picnic, or go to the lovely tea rooms. The cider barn is well stocked with local ciders, as well as a variety of beers from craft breweries.

Could do with a bit of a face lift all round in the toy shop and animal sections .Lovely staff play area vv good

Amazing cream tea. Such a good price for a home baked treat. Would recommend

Perfect place. Children are delighted

I had a lovely latte and carrot cake in the tea room and then went into the cider barn to taste and buy some great ciders

Great fresh food and baked goods. There is so much on display. After cooking our meat and vegetables we bought here at home, we can say that it was super tasty and we will be back.

Went to farm shop and brought a small piece of cheese and some pickled onions.i thought the perfect thing to go with my cheesy snack was a little box of crackers.i paid £8.80 for this little box of crackers only to find they're £2.80 in tesco.i know I'm silly for buying them but guys £6 quid on top that is wayyyyy too steep..won't be back..sorry.

Had a really nice brunch here. The vegetarian quiche is a must try. They also have a very delicate oat chai latte perfect for the windy weather <3

Feeding the lambs is just standing in queue for 20-30mins with a toddler to take a photo of them feeding a lamb for 30sec. Not the experience with animals I was expecting for my son who didn’t even want to do it after 20-30min of waiting. I would not recommend it. I visit Middle farm Regularly and we enjoy it but this was rubbish, unless all you are after is a photo for Instagram.

I have so many great memories of middle farm growing up so booked to take my son to feed the lambs. Unfortunately the experience is no longer the same as in the past and unlike other farms that also do lamb feeding. At this farm you will stand in the queue for over 40mins to wait your turn, difficult with small children and in the heat as the queue went outside of the barn and all around the corner. The reason for the queue was that they were only feeding two lambs at a time, instead of being given a bottle, sitting in your group and feeding like normal. At middle farm a bottle is made to last between 3 to 4 children so after spending the 40mins queueing your child is given a minute or so to hold the bottle before its the next persons turn. I found this so disappointing and seems to me the farm has done this to gain more money instead of only allowing a certain amount of children to lambs so they can get the experience your paying for. Once that was done it was much later then anticipated due to queueing that we went to grab some much needed lunch. Unfortunately their was only three high chairs which i thought was strange due to the establishment being somewhere you bring your children so we ordered the food to take away. Woth the intention of eatting it on the grass the otherside of the shop. After waiting over 30mins for a jam sandwich and toasty my son was extremely upset as lunch time had way passed due to the wait for feeding the lambs and getting our food. We took our lunch and went to walk through the shop to get to field when the shop lady told us we cant as our time in the farm has ended. When i explained that their was no seats in the cafe or garden and also no high chairs so we just wanted to sit on the grass she turned very rude and patronising and reapeted herself so we ended up eatting our lunch on the muddy car park gravel floor. Again this would not have happened if everything hadn't of taken so long that our time had passed. I would not recomend Middle farm to anyone, i would not go back even if it was free, especially when their are other much nicer farms which can give you and your children the lasting memories you are hoping for and paying for. Also just to add if you do go, take your own lunch £5.95 for a toasty with one slice of ham. Photo below

The best steak and sausages I have had in years, so much better than any supermarket. The butchers were very knowledgeable and helpful. You get what you pay for! I will be back, thank you!

They have a lovely farm shop. Had one of their meat pasties, delicious.

We stopped here for a cuppa on the way home from a day out. Got there about 4pm so pretty late in the day and close to closing time. However, tables were filthy despite it looking like there was plenty of staff. Ordered the cream tea, tea was standard, scones were a little dry but tasted nice, may have been nicer slightly warmed. Not enough clotted cream for my liking but then I do like a lot! Cookies were a bit chewy according to my daughter. Hot chocolate was cold! Atmosphere was a little dull, kind of expected a nice family friendly feel but I guess it was the end of the day and staff had had enough, it is half term though, haven't we all! Farm shop was very expensive and smelt funny. Ducks in the car park have a death wish, be careful!

Well stocked Farm shop, local ciders & tasting. Children's playground and hay barn to scramble around & trail walk. Annual lamb bottle feeding event & meet small animals. Easy parking.

We had a wonderful time at the farm sundae. We enjoyed lunch in the tearoom where the serving staff are lovely. Food was great and had many options for me as I have allergies. Staff were very quick to help me out with this even at their busiest time.

A regular visitor to Middle Farm Tea Room and before today would have thought other reviews a little unfair. Dropped in for tea this afternoon whilst cycling. Expected it to be busy as a sunny Sunday but, even allowing for this it was disorganised. Queued up for ages to order and pay. All of the tables in the courtyard were cluttered with dirty crockery. No staff cleared away in the 40 mins we were there. Other people in the queue behind us were served so we asked when our order would be ready. They had lost it. We got a refund and left.

An essential stop every time I’m in the area. Delicious pasties, a well stocked farm shop, enormous selection of ciders, local and homebrew too! Cute gift shop and always a nice check in with all the wild birds (plus the farm animals)

Rustic and authentic, there are some really traditional dishes. Very good farm shop with lots of organic products. An uncanny selection of jams and preserves. I can recommend it.

My granddaughter had the best time, cannot Wait to see the baby lambs .

Amazing shop with real food, is pricey but you get what you pay for!!

A splendid place for family visit. Lunch in cafe and a great farm shop with over 100 British Cheeses! The cider shop sells the finest English drinks and tasting of Ciders and Perry’s is a tray in itself. It’s also very convenient for great walks on the South Downs.

Best place for a nice breather and stop whilst going eastbound A27.

This shop has incredible English farm-made, hand-made goods. Best place to get all your cooking needs

Amazing place staff really friendly and informative

Great customer service and products, as per usual.

Loved it here, went and saw the animals, said hello to the security cat in the gift shop(he's lovely, but spontaneously attacks you), then found out mead is my new favourite drink.

Wonderful small farm, ideal for pre-school children. Lovely cafe and little garden centre

Lovely unusual produce. Small animal farm to amuse the kids in all of us. Lovely place to visit 😊

Great place to shop for unusual bits and bobs. Also has lovely cider/beer shop which has a fantastic amount of different types of wine, cider and beer. You can also buy cider from the keg. Baked goods like scones are yummy 😋

The place is busting with Christmas foody goodies

Went here for some lunch today; they had only one jacket potato available at 12:30. Brie and cranberry sandwich turned up with bacon in it. Fine by me but would have been a problem for my brother. Had to ask for cutlery after the food was served. Beef pasty was chicken and ham. Everything was very nice but equally not what we ordered.

I'm sure Middle Farm is fabulous, but due to their very restrictive dog policy, no dogs in cafe or farm shop, I didn't have a very pleasant experience. Never mind went on to the Fabulous Blackbrooks food hall and cafe were dogs are welcome and had lunch and brought everything I needed there. Such a shame.

Stopped for lunch at Middle Farm and chose Ploughman’s one ham, and one mature cheddar cheese. Cost £9.75 each. Poor value - ham was ok but cheese was not a strong cheddar, and not much of it, instead of it being served with crusty white bloomer as advertised it came with one slice of sliced white bread, when queried they said it was the same as the bloomer but sliced. If so it is tasteless and I have tasted better from the ordinary sliced in the supermarket. The chutney was nice but the pickled onions were silver skin onions, in my view not a proper ploughman’s and poor value for money.

Something for everyone! Fantastic food shop featuring local produce, cider barn, plants, gift shop and kids farm zoo.

Great place, especially to get something a bit different. Good butchers.