This guide compares four farm shops across East Sussex: Middle Farm on the A27 at Firle near Lewes, Tablehurst Farm just outside Forest Row in Wealden, Eggs to Apples Farm Shop at Hurst Green near Etchingham, and Tibbs Farm at Udimore near Rye. Three are working farms that sell some of their own produce; one is a well-stocked family-run shop buying from named local growers. The useful question is which shop has the food you need, and where it was grown.
As a Londoner, I know it is not realistic for everyone to live on a farm. A farm shop, farmers' market or community garden can be part of a more direct food routine. Start with a reachable stop and a short list, rather than expecting to change everything at once.
Which farm shop or picking farm should you choose?
Where you start from decides a lot. Middle Farm sits directly on the A27, about four miles east of Lewes and seven miles west of Eastbourne, so it is the easiest stop from Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne and the South Downs villages, and it has the widest range under one roof, including a butchery and a large cider barn. Tablehurst Farm, on the A22 just north of Forest Row, suits the north of the county and East Grinstead, and is the place for biodynamic and organic meat, vegetables and raw milk produced on the farm itself.
Further east, Eggs to Apples at Hurst Green, near the London to Hastings road, works well for Etchingham, Robertsbridge and Battle shoppers wanting a full weekly shop from named Sussex and Kent suppliers. Tibbs Farm, five minutes' drive from Rye, is smaller: come for its own jam, apple juice and eggs, and for pick-your-own fruit in summer.
Check the farm’s current crops, opening times and prices before travelling. Picking seasons vary, and a farm shop may sell produce without offering pick-your-own visits.
- Middle Farm , A Pile family farm since 1960
- Tablehurst Farm , Biodynamic community farm near Forest Row
- Eggs to Apples Farm Shop , Award-winning family-run shop at Hurst Green
- Tibbs Farm , A Wheeler family hop and fruit farm
Middle Farm
Map and location
Middle Farm, West Firle, Lewes BN8 6LJ. View Middle Farm on the map.
Contact: 01323 811411.
A family farm on the South Downs since 1960
Middle Farm is a 625-acre working family farm on the South Downs at Firle, between Lewes and Eastbourne. John Pile took over the farm in October 1960, building up a pedigree dairy herd with cows from his father's herd in nearby Glynde, a large poultry flock and an orchard, while his wife Vivienne baked bread and cakes and made jam. Their daughter Helen and her husband Rod now run the business with their sons Joe, Noah and Gulliver. Meat and poultry are reared at Middle Farm and on other local Sussex farms, some honey comes from hives on the farm, and herbs and chillies are grown there too.
The farm shop says it carries more Sussex-produced food and drink than any other, with a butchery counter selling high-welfare meat and free-range poultry, a deli with many Sussex cheeses, and a farm kitchen making cakes, pies, pasties, ready meals and ice cream. Named suppliers include Ringden Farm for apples, High Weald Dairy and Nut Knowle Farm for cheese, and Flint Owl for bread. The cider barn holds over 100 draught ciders and perries, and there is also a tearoom, a plant centre and an open farm.
Visiting and buying
Middle Farm's website gives farm shop hours of 9:30am to 5:00pm, with the tearoom open 9:30am to 4:30pm on weekdays and 9:30am to 5:00pm at weekends, and the open farm 10:00am to 4:00pm. It is open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The shop is free to enter; the open farm needs a pre-booked ticket. The farm is directly on the A27, so ignore any sat nav turn for Firle village; Glynde station is about two miles away. Ask at the butchery which cuts were reared on the farm itself.
Middle Farm: website and opening hours.
Tablehurst Farm
Map and location
London Road, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5DP. View Tablehurst Farm on the map.
Contact: 01342 823173.
Biodynamic meat, vegetables and raw milk
Tablehurst Farm has been run as a community farm since 1996, just north of Forest Row. It describes itself as an organic and biodynamic farm, and it produces its own meat, dairy and vegetables. The shop sells the farm's biodynamic beef and lamb, organic pork and chicken, and seasonal ducks, geese and turkeys, along with fruit and vegetables from the farm garden, which grows over ninety varieties a year. Jersey cows supply a raw milk dairy, and the farm has been raising funds to build a new one. In February 2026 it announced that its sheep enterprise is ending, so ask whether lamb is still available.
The butchery cures and smokes bacon on site and makes many kinds of sausage, including gluten-free ones, and the farm's burgers have a loyal following. Raw milk is sold from a vending machine outside the shop: bring your own container or buy a reusable bottle. Bread comes fresh each day from Fermento Bakery, baked on the farm, and other named suppliers include Orchard Eggs, Brambletye Fruit Farm for juices and High Weald Dairy for cheese. A café and café garden sit alongside the shop.
Visiting and buying
Tablehurst's website gives farm shop hours of Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, with the butchery open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and the café Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm. Everything is closed on Sundays and bank holidays, and the butchery and café also close on Mondays, so a Monday visit means no meat counter. The farm track leaves the A22 at the Forest Way traffic lights just north of the village, and the farm is under fifteen minutes' walk from Forest Row centre. Most of the counter is from the farm, but it is still worth asking.
Tablehurst Farm: website and opening hours.
Eggs to Apples Farm Shop
Map and location
Eggs to Apples Farm Shop, London Road, Hurst Green, Etchingham, East Sussex, TN19 7QP. View Eggs to Apples Farm Shop on the map.
Contact: 01580 860566.
A family-run shop stocking named local growers
Eggs to Apples is a family-run farm shop on London Road at Hurst Green, close to the main London to Hastings road. Unlike the other shops here, its website does not say it grows or rears anything itself. Instead it buys from local suppliers, with the aim of providing local food to local people, and offers seasonal produce from abroad where British is not available. Its suppliers page lists Padswood Farm at Sedlescombe for fruit and vegetables, Hinxden Dairy at Benenden, Moons Green Charcuterie at Northiam and Oxney Organic Vineyard at Beckley. The name comes from a Latin proverb meaning from the beginning to the end of a meal.
The shop sells fruit and vegetables, a butchery and deli counter with locally sourced meat, artisan cheeses and charcuterie, bread, pastries and cakes, preserves, wine and drinks, free-from and organic lines, flowers, plants and hampers. Cheese comes from suppliers including Alsop & Walker at Five Ashes and High Weald Dairy, and bakery lines from Sussex Kitchen Bakery and Rye Bakery among others. There is a dog-friendly café with outdoor seating, and the shop was a South East regional winner in the 2021 Farm Shop & Deli Awards.
Visiting and buying
The shop's website gives opening hours of 8:00am to 5:30pm Monday to Wednesday, 8:00am to 6:00pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday. The café opens daily from 8am, or 10am on Sundays. There is a large car park. Because the shop buys in rather than growing its own, ask which producer a particular item comes from; the suppliers page gives each local supplier's distance from the shop. It is a convenient stop from Etchingham, Robertsbridge and the A21 corridor.
Eggs to Apples Farm Shop: website and opening hours.
Tibbs Farm
Map and location
Tibbs Farm, Udimore, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6AR. View Tibbs Farm on the map.
Contact: 07596 741680.
Hops, fruit and pick-your-own above the Tillingham valley
Tibbs Farm at Udimore, a five-minute drive from Rye, is run by the Wheeler family. The farm says a Wheeler ancestor started growing hops at West Hoathly in 1690. Ken Wheeler, one of three farming brothers from Kent, moved to East Sussex in 1956, and his two sons later set up pick-your-own at Tibbs Farm, which was running by 1978; another generation has since joined. The farm still grows hops and is one of roughly 40 hop growers left in the country. It also grows soft fruit and apples, and keeps Romney sheep, a Sussex cattle herd, traditional breed pigs and free-range hens.
Tibbs is a café combined with a farm shop, looking over the hop gardens and the Tillingham valley. The farm sells its own small-batch jams, apple juice pressed from its apples, free-range eggs, hop garlands in late summer, and surplus vegetables when there is a glut. Its pork and hogget are used in the café only and are not sold. Pick-your-own runs from early June to mid-August for strawberries, raspberries, currants and other berries, followed by pumpkins and then Christmas trees.
Visiting and buying
The farm's website gives café hours of Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm, and does not list separate shop hours, so check before a special trip. Pick-your-own dates depend on the season, and this year's Pumpkin Experience runs until 31 October 2026. The phone number above is from the Visit 1066 Country listing; the farm's own site gives the email tibbsfarmrye@gmail.com. Much of the fruit grows on north-facing banks, which may not suit wheelchairs or pushchairs. Ask what is in from the farm that week.
Tibbs Farm: website and opening hours.
Knowing a farm shop you can return to is also one of the most practical ways to be ready for disruption. Read The Be Ready Campaign: A UK Guide to Stocking Your Home With Healthy, Local Food, and use the Be Ready Map to find more local food across the UK.
Plan your farm visit, produce, quantities and picking dates
Choose one or two farms or farm shops that fit your route. Write down what you want, how much you need and what you will do with it when you get home. If one crop is unavailable, decide whether to choose a different farm, change the meal or return another day.
- Confirm the crop, public opening and any booking requirement.
- Ask whether you can pick yourself or buy already picked.
- Check the price unit, payment method and containers.
- Ask about access, parking and the correct visitor entrance.
Farm shop and fruit-picking questions
Where can I buy local food in East Sussex?
In East Sussex, try Middle Farm on the A27 at Firle near Lewes, Tablehurst Farm at Forest Row, Eggs to Apples Farm Shop at Hurst Green near Etchingham, and Tibbs Farm at Udimore near Rye. Middle Farm, Tablehurst and Eggs to Apples have butchery counters; Tibbs is best in summer for pick-your-own fruit.
Are all these farms in the same town?
No. East Sussex covers a wide area, and this guide spreads its choices across the county. Each farm section gives its location so you can compare the journey before you set off.
Can I pick at every farm or market?
No. Farm shops and markets may sell ready-picked food without opening fields to visitors. Ask the individual business about picking access, the crop and any booking requirement.
Plan your farm shopping with My Shopping List and Harvest Checker
Open My Shopping List to record produce, quantities and estimated costs. Mark items as bought when you collect them and keep the plan for your next trip.
Use Harvest Checker after a grower gives you a picking window. Enter those dates and compare them with your visit date. The tool uses your entries; it does not fetch live availability from farms.
My Shopping List
Keep the produce you actually need in one place before you set off.
Use My Shopping ListHarvest Checker
Compare your visit with dates confirmed by the grower. This does not check live stock.
Use Harvest CheckerUse the tools with your My Ideal World account. Guest and free-account limits apply; paid members have unlimited tool access.
Explore more farm shops and picking farms in My Ideal World. Browse the Farm Shops app below or beside this article, then check the grower’s current crop and opening before visiting.
Sources
- Middle Farm , opening times
- Middle Farm , about us
- Middle Farm , farm shop
- Tablehurst Farm , farm shop
- Tablehurst Farm , find us
- Eggs to Apples Farm Shop , official website
- Eggs to Apples Farm Shop , our suppliers
- Tibbs Farm , about us
- Tibbs Farm , farm produce
- Tibbs Farm , Visit 1066 Country
Research reviewed 25 October 2026. Farm and visitor sources support the descriptions above. Historical information is identified where relevant; no firsthand visit, current stock check or certification is claimed.