Open Gates Weekend at Yeo Valley

This morning we have been to the Open Gate weekend at Yeo Valley (in Blagdon). I have been to Yeo Valley a few times now and it is one of my favourite places to visit. The Headquarters sits on the top of a hill overlooking the stunning Blagdon Lake.

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My kids eat lots of yogurt, my eldest has autism and a very limited diet, Little Yeos are one of his staple foods (along with Yeo Valley butter & milk).

Using Yeokens

Yeo Valley have a reward scheme called yeokens. When you buy Yeo Valley products they have between 3 & 20 yeokens each, you collect the yeokens which can then be spent on treats. We have collated lots of yeokens over the past couple of years.

I have been lucky enough to use the yeokens to get all sorts of goodies including a kids chefs hat which is regularly used in our house, a brilliant cookery demo day at Yeo Valley headquarters and today’s Open Gate Weekend. For a family ticket it was 550 yeokens. The ticket included brunch at the canteen and entry to the organic gardens.

Before you even enter the canteen you get to peak into the kitchen and see the chef’s preparing the food.

Food at Yeo Valley HQ

The canteen at Yeo Valley was originally set up to feed their staff. I have been lucky enough to visit this stunning venue a few times now, every time the food has been exceptional.

The main reason the food is so good is that it is so well cared for, everything is carefully sourced so they start with the best produce possible. It’s hard not to fall in love with the ethos from this organic family owned business.

Today it was brunch and they had a fantastic spread for us. There was a buffet laid out for us to help ourselves. This included delicious granola with a great selection of Yeo Valley yogurt and fruit compote. My husband was particularly impressed with the new Kefir fermented yogurt (we bought some so I look forward to trying it later).

The buffet also included huge yummy croissants with Yeo Valley salted butter (my son’s favourite), Combe Farm Ham which was beautifully thin yet still juicy and full of flavour and the stand out for us Green’s Organic Cheddar. My three year old probably ate his body weight in cheese it was that good. Tea and coffee was also included.

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The kids were well catered for with bread and that gorgeous ham & cheese along with their favourite Little Yeos.

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There was also a selection of food that could be ordered from the kitchen (included in your ticket). We opted for the Holt farms roast beef hash with poached organic egg. This was delicious particularly the potatoes which were full of amazing flavour.

We also opted for the warm scotch pancakes with Yeo Valley greek style yogurt & Yeo Valley fruit compote. I hadn’t had the fruit compote before but it was really tasty and just the right sweetness for me (I love sweet things), I will be getting some of this next time I’m at the supermarket!

Family Friendly

Yeo valley is extremely family friendly, there are lots of little touches around the place that make it clear kids are more than welcome. They had bread and butter available at the buffet, fantastic for those of us with fussy eaters. They also had Little Yeos out with children’s reusable plastic spoons.

Colouring and kids books were around too. There were letters all over the shop fridges for kids to play with. In the cafe we were given plastic kids cups and straws to use. As you enter the building there is a small toy farm set up which my boys loved. These are all small things but it makes life much easier when you have small kids with you.

All the staff at Yeo Valley are friendly and helpful with brilliant customer service.

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Yeo Valley shop

Although we can get all the Yeo Valley products at our local supermarket it is worth a visit to the shop in the canteen, the products are heavily discounted and available to buy if you have eaten in the canteen. We were well prepared with our coolbox full of freeze packs so stocked up on yogurt and other goodies.

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I already have a copy of the Yeo Valley Family Farm, The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook. I will review this another time.

Yeo Valley Headquarters

All the buildings have been decorated with fantastic style, there are so many quirky but exceptionally well done features everywhere. Even the toilets are amazing. It is an amazing venue and one I am lucky enough to live only half an hour away from so can visit again and again.

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Yeo Valley Organic Gardens, Blagdon

Just down the hill past the factory and fields of dairy cows is the organic gardens.

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The gardens are stunning and we were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day for our visit. Between May and September the gardens are open from 11-5 on Thursdays and Fridays.

Flowers at Yeo Valley Organic Garden

The garden was full of stunning flowers, particularly the wildflower meadows.

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Plants at Yeo Valley Organic Garden

There is a beautiful greenhouse in the garden:

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The gardens were full of plants that are clearly very well taken care of.

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Water in the Yeo Valley Organic Garden

There is a lovely little river at the back of the wildflower meadow, the boys enjoyed a long game of Pooh sticks here. The pond near the house is beautiful- this is probably my favourite part of the gardens. There are also lots of great water features around the garden which pleased my sensory seeking kids.

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Garden Cafe at Yeo Valley Organic Farm

As it was a lovely sunny day we were happy to stop in at the garden cafe for a drink. Still full from brunch so we decided to share some cake as it was a little too tempting to ignore. I was supposed to be sharing the chocolate brownie with my son, who decide it was too good to share so I only got one bite! I don’t really blame him as it was really tasty a proper gooey brownie.

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Fantastic family visit

We had a lovely day and are real fans of Yeo Valley so will definitely be back. If you are in the West Country then I would really recommend a visit to Yeo Valley. They are not open to the public all the time so make sure you check what’s on their website.

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Yeo Valley Rap

I would hope most of you are already familiar with Yeo Valley products, if not do try them as they are delicious. I think I fell in love with Yeo Valley after their advert rap that became very popular here in the West Country at the time. For those not familiar or in need of a smile here it is.

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